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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
John Brewin

Vinícius to Arsenal? Club football’s military industrial complex kicks back into gear

Brazil fans pose for photos in the stands with cutouts of Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior
A Premier League matchup soon? Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

VENI, VINÍ, VICI?

If this is an attention economy, there is no greater attention-seeker than club football. Not content with dominating the sporting agenda for 11 months of any calendar year, it has been a summer of “look at me”, largely in vain as the Geopolitics World Cup’s often grubby charms snaffled up football focus. Often faint, sometimes shrill, the keening sound of season 2026-27 approaching, of this meaning more, was never far away as clubs congratulated or commiserated their players out in North America in grasping for relevance. And with the GWC safely bagged up, the club football military industrial complex is kicking back into gear, via the usual fashion, a transfer saga, and as is customary, one that involves Real Madrid.

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