Arteta and Arsenal Slapped With Ornstein Hammer Blow - And It's One of the Best Tweets of the Transfer Window

Alvarez to Arsenal is Off… Simply Because Alvarez Doesn’t Want the Move!

Fans can say all they want about transfer updates from the likes of David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano - they may ruin the element of surprise, they may at times be hastily and sloppily composed, and as we have seen during this window in particular, they can even be wrong.

However, they also provide unmatched content, with fan responses, twisting and turning story lines, and unexpected hijacks punctuating everybody’s days like a dinner bell, and this morning David Ornstein dropped arguably best of the window so far.

According to the leading transfer journalist, Atletico Madrid’s wantaway striker Julian Alvarez has “spoken with Arteta, and said he doesn’t want to come,” despite the Gunners being the main rivals to preferred destination Barcelona for much of the summer. As a Chelsea fan, very few things bring me more joy than Arsenal being stonewalled, particularly when it comes to a genuinely world class talent such as Alvarez.

🗣️ @David_Ornstein on Julian Alvarez: “He’s spoken to Mikel Arteta and said he doesn’t want to come.”

(🎥 via @footballontnt)

That Arteta pull. 😂 pic.twitter.com/32iG7JKOci

— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) August 29, 2026

Here We No!

Ornstein is rarely wrong - his reputation as a journalist hangs on only releasing news that is 100% guaranteed, and a great deal of work behind the scenes is done each day with sources and agents to ensure that is preserved.

So the statement concerning Alvarez is highly unlikely to be wrong, and the blunt, unembarrassed delivery of the line leaves Arsenal with certain amounts of egg on their face.

Afterall, the Gunners have been linked with the Argentine since May, with Barcelona their only true rivals for his signature, and it shows that despite their Premier League title and Champions League runner-up medal, the Gunners are not yet desirable enough to barge their more reputable European counterparts out of transfer negotiations.

The Gunners have a history of being hesitant to spend in the transfer window, and any bid for Alvarez would have had to be in excess of £100 million for Diego Simeone to even consider selling his star man, despite the unsavoury circumstances over at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Perhaps it is this spend-shy mindset that shut the door on a move, although it is equally likely that Alvarez himself shut down any chance of a move to the Emirates, as it has been widely reported that the World Cup winner only wants Barcelona, where he would follow in the footsteps of the recently departed Robert Lewandowski.

It just underlines the fact that, while they may be able to bring in defenders galore, Arsenal have absolutely no pull whatsoever when it comes to attackers. Morgan Rogers opted for Chelsea over the North London side earlier this summer, while links to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr were shut down quickly last month.

With Alvarez now also rejecting Arteta’s side, Arsenal are running out of time to secure another attacker, with Gabriel Martinelli seemingly on his way to Saudi Arabia. It is possible that they go from a potential frontline of Morgan Rogers, Vini Jr and Julian Alvarez to simply adding Pedro Neto to their options, and as a Chelsea fan, nothing would bring me more satisfaction than that.