Arsenal's Julián Alvarez dream comes with one massive red flag (and it's not the price)

Julián Alvarez is stuck between a rock and a hard place at Atlético Madrid. We saw at the weekend that he chose not to applaud the home fans at the Metropolitano, walking down the tunnel and leaving his teammates to do that job.

It's pretty clear that Alvarez wants out of Atlético Madrid, and his situation is broken beyond repair. He wants to join La Liga rivals Barcelona, but understandably, Atlético couldn't think of anything worse than strengthening a league rival.

Arsenal are in the equation, but they are awkwardly sat in the corner like an unwanted third wheel. Arsenal want Alvarez, but Alvarez doesn't want Arsenal.

Julián Alvarez's preference tells Arsenal exactly what they need to know

As Ian Wright excellently pointed out last summer when Eberechi Eze pleaded to join Arsenal, wanting to sign for The Arsenal is innate.

This doesn't mean that every player wants to join Arsenal - we know better than anyone that we don't have the same pull as the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona. However, the underlying message is that we should focus only on players who want The Arsenal.

Alvarez, as a player, would fix Arsenal's biggest concern in the attack. He is one of the best centre forwards in the world, and for €150m (£128m), it would be an investment worth making... if he wanted Arsenal.

The problem is, the player also comes with a personality. The player is worth signing, but the personality isn't.

It is a huge red flag that Alvarez doesn't want to sign for Arsenal. It's fine to have a preference, but Arsenal should hear that and run away from the transfer as fast as Usain Bolt.

Arsenal should have higher aspirations than chasing players looking another way

Arsenal are not Chelsea. They don't need to throw money at players who would rather play for other clubs.

Furthermore, Arsenal are not a stepping-stone club anymore. They are the champions of the biggest and most-watched league in the world.

Signing Alvarez at this point would absolutely be a shot in the foot. He doesn't want Arsenal, and we've already seen how he acts when he's playing for a club he doesn't want to play for. This is the last attitude Arsenal need at the club when they are looking to reclaim the toughest trophy there is to win in domestic football.

Saying no to one player means that Arsenal need to say yes to another player, right? Well, not really. Kai Havertz is a pretty reliable goal scorer himself and, well, Arsenal did alright last season.

That said, nobody would turn their nose up at a centre forward being signed, particularly one who specialised in scoring. So, if not Alvarez, then who?

Well, I don't have the answer to that question. I am just a fan, and thankfully (for everybody involved), I don't make the decisions at Arsenal.

One thing I do know, though, is that fans want to see fans playing for their club. If that's not possible, then fans at least want to see players who want to play for Arsenal. Alvarez is not one of them, unfortunately.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow