Noel Whelan has claimed that Dusan Vlahovic is exactly what Arsenal need as they close in on his signature.
The Serbian international has been on fire of late, only being outscored by Robert Lewandowski in 2021 when only taking league goals into consideration, and is on the lookout for a new club.
Vlahovic has made it adamantly clear that he has no intention of signing an extension with his current club, with just 18 months remaining on his current deal, and will be on the move either this month or in the summer, and the Gunners appear to be looking to steal a march on all their rivals by jumping in January.
Whelan has hailed our prospective signing as ‘exactly’ what is needed to take us to the next level, but warns that we cannot afford to let any of our current attackers leave until his foot is in the door.
“I think he’s exactly what they need,” Whelan told the Football Insider.
“Arteta is obviously planning for the future. There’s going to be some really big earners coming off that wage bill very soon – whether that’s Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette, or both.
“There’s also going to be a big dent in the strike force, whether they leave at the end of the season or further down the line this month.
“They’ve got to cover that base, but they can’t let anyone go before they get Vlahovic in. If they can get this one over the line this month, then you might see Nketiah or Aubameyang move on.
“I think Lacazette will stick around until the end of the season. Vlahovic could be a great buy for Arsenal in the long-term.”
As much as the rumour mill is in full flow, and reports coming from all angles point towards our efforts to sign him, it still remains to be seen whether we can convince him of the project we are pursuing in north London, but fingers crossed we can get this deal over the line, and I fully expect him to need little time to settle.
He is a goal machine, and can play various styles in front of goal, but I just hope that we are able to convince him that we can match his ambitions.
Patrick