ARSENAL’S TOP FIVE STRIKER TARGETS THIS SUMMER by Bjorn Vorster
Despite being the top-scoring side in the Premier League this season, it is no secret that Arsenal will be looking to reinforce their attacking options this summer with Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta reportedly eyeing a host of top talents across Europe.
Scoring 70 goals in 28 matches is no mean feat, however, that has not stopped the Arsenal management from already considering how they can add even more goals to their tally next season.
From Napoli’s Nigerian hitman, Victor Osimhen, to the most in-form striker in world football at the moment, Viktor Gyokeres, today we will be taking a look at the top five strikers the Gunners will be targeting this summer.
Viktor Gyokeres – Sporting Lisbon
Making the move from the Championship’s Coventry City to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon at the start of the season, the Swedish ace Viktor Gyokeres has been nothing short of sensational, scoring 36 goals from 38 appearances, as well as picking up 14 assists so far this campaign.
Pacey, powerful and good with the ball at his feet, Gyokeres, looks like the complete package and will have majority of the top European sides chasing his signature ahead of next season.
However, it is believed that the Gunners have taken the lead in the race for the 25-year-old, with scouts from the North London club having been in attendance at a few of Sporting’s matches this year, including their 6-1 win over Boavista this weekend with Gyokeres bagging a very impressive hat-trick in another dominant performance.
Standing at 6’2, he offers something different to Arsenal’s current crop of recognised strikers, Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, and despite Kai Havertz’s recent resurgence of form, the Gunners will still be eyeing a more reliable hitman in front of goal.
50 GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres with the match ball after his hat-trick against Boavista this weekend.
According to Whoscored.com, Gyokeres averages 3.4 shots (SpG), 1.8 key passes (KeyP), and 2.3 completed dribbles (DrB) per game, and when you compare that to Jesus (2.5 SpG, 1 KeyP, 1.2 DrB), Nketiah (3 SpG, 0.5 KeyP, 1 DrB) and Havertz (1.5 SpG, 1 KeyP, 0.4 DrB), it is clear to see that he would be an upgrade on all three.
Reporting on the transfer, FootballTransfers journalist Steve Kay has confirmed that Gyokeres is now the club’s number one target this summer.
“Arsenal’s scouting process has seen the attacker deliver standout performances and now he is the preferred choice for the club’s forward line,” Kay wrote.
One aspect that could deter the Gunners from making the move will be his price tag with the Portuguese giants reportedly valuing him at a whopping £100m.
Regardless, we have seen that Arsenal are not scared to splash the cash if they believe the player will undoubtedly improve their side as we saw with Declan Rice joining from West Ham in a club-record £105m deal at the start of this season.
Victor Osimhen – Napoli
Another player that has been on Arsenal’s radar for quite some time is Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Starting back in 2016, the Gunners were close to signing him following his very impressive showing at the FIFA U17 World Cup, with Osimhen even having a conversation with legendary Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger.
“I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament (Under-17 World Cup) ended and he wanted me to come to Arsenal,” he confirmed in an interview in 2020.
However, this move never materialised unfortunately, and he would instead join Bundesliga club Wolfsburg the following year. Struggling in Germany, the now 25-year-old made the move to Lille in 2019, where his talents finally started to come to the forefront.
13 goals in 27 appearances during his first year in France was enough evidence for Italian side, Napoli, to whip out the cheque book, signing him for a whopping £70m in a club-record deal.
As they say, the rest is history.
61 goals in 100 appearances, including 31 in 39 appearances last season, Osimhen was the driving force behind Napoli’s first Serie A title win in 33 years.
£100m HITMAN: Arsenal have held talks with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen over a possible move this summer.
With a very impressive record in international football as well, he has been able to replicate his goal scoring form for the national team, scoring 21 goals in 35 matches for Nigeria.
Not having as an impressive season as last, he has still been able to find the back of the net on a regular basis, contributing 13 goals from 24 matches, as well as chipping in with three assists for Napoli who currently sit in 7th in the Serie A standings.
Alongside Arsenal, it is believed that Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested in his services with reports circulating that he would prefer a move tot the Gunners ahead of their Premier League rivals. Additionally, there are also rumours that the Arsenal recruiting department, including Edu, have already met with Osimhen and his representatives over a possible move next season.
PSG are also interested; however, the lure of the Premier League could be too much to resist for a player wanting to be one of the best in the world.
Known for being a tough negotiator, Napoli boss Aurelio De Laurentiis is said to be wanting £100m to part with his prized asset this summer.
Benjamin Sesko – RB Leipzig
Standing at 6’5, RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is by far the biggest striker on this list.
A name on the lips of a lot of the biggest clubs in Europe, Sesko has been making quite an impression over recent years, even drawing comparisons to Manchester City star Erling Haaland. Seven goals in 11 starts in the Bundesliga this campaign is a very healthy return for a player who has still a lot of room to develop being only twenty years old.
Even more impressive is his record for Slovenia having scored 10 goals in 21 appearances after making his debut one day after his 18th birthday in 2021.
Known for his physical prowess and aerial ability, he will add another dimension to the Gunners attack who currently only have Havertz to fulfil that role.
According to GiveMeSport’s Dean Jones, Arsenal scouts have been ‘recommending’ the Slovenian international to Arteta.
“Arsenal are continuing to monitor Benjamin Sesko after he has been recommended to boss Mikel Arteta by the north Londoners’ scouting network,” Jones wrote.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS: Arsenal scouts have recommended 6’5 RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko to Mikel Arteta as a possible signing this summer.
With a sudden burst of pace, as well as the ability to hold the ball up and consistently make well-timed runs into the box, Sesko would definitely fit into Arsenal’s system, similar to what Havertz has been doing this year. Add his physicality on top of that and the Gunners will have one deadly striker at their disposal.
Chelsea are also interested with the Blues also in the market for a high-profile striker this summer, which could prove to be a slight hurdle in this pursuit for the Gunners.
Likely to cost around £45m, he would be a much cheaper option than both Gyokeres and Osihmen, and with Arteta’s pedigree of working with and developing young talents, this might just be another masterstroke from Arteta and his team.
Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa
Arguably the most in-form striker in the Premier League this season, Ollie Watkins is a huge reason why Aston Villa have had such an impressive 2023/24 campaign with the West Midlands club currently in contention for the Champions League spots.
16 goals and 10 assists from 29 appearances has seen many pundits call for Watkins to be named as the Player of the Season if this impressive run continues.
Known for his speed, pressing ability, and acumen in and around the box, he is another player that would certainly fit into Arteta’s system, but the Gunners already have Jesus who’s game is very similar to Watkins and would not really offer the club a different attacking option.
A boyhood Gooner, a move to Arsenal might pose an interesting proposition for him, especially with the club’s rise back to the top of the English game in recent years.
According to Whoscored.com, he currently averages 3 SpG, 1.3 KeyP and 0.7 DrB, which are decent numbers and in line with some of the other players the Gunners are targeting.
However, with Villa currently sitting fourth in the League – largely due to the contribution of Watkins – and having slapped a huge £80m valuation on their star forward, and considering his age (28), the Gunners might feel there are better options on the market, especially with Gyokeres likely to only cost £20m more but is three years younger and has had a far more impressive season.
Unfortunately, with the other options on the market and the price tag considered, we do not really see Watkins making the move to North London anytime soon.
Santiago Gimenez – Feyenoord
Compared to the rest of the players on this list, Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez will most likely be the least known, but that does not mean he is not capable of leading the line for the Gunners next season.
21 goals in 25 appearances is a really good return for the Mexican international, and at only 22 years old, he still has a lot of time to develop even further, especially under the tutelage of Arteta.
Able to score with either foot, as well as with his head, Gimenez is a versatile striker that has grown leaps and bounds since making the move from Mexico to the Netherlands in 2022. He has been making such an impression over the last 18 months that even Real Madrid have been keeping an eye on him ahead of a possible transfer in the future.
Likely to cost a lot less than everyone else on this list (valued at around £40m), he could be seen as very smart business for the Gunners, especially if he’s able to generate any sort of output close to what he has done at Feyenoord.
OUR VERDICT:
If the Gunners are to make a real statement and cement themselves as one of the top clubs in Europe, they need to go all out to sign either Gyokeres or Osimhen.
All the strikers on this list would undoubtedly improve Arsenal but these two are currently the best options on the market, especially Gyokeres who already has 50 goal contributions this season. The signing of Gyokeres also seems highly plausible for Arsenal with the club having been scouting him for a few months now.
Another big summer awaits Arsenal, expect the club to invest at least another £200m.
This is a Guest Post from Bjorn at PunchDrunkArsenal and was originally posted on his site in America. Have a look and see what he has to offer.
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The young Dutch striker playing in Italy, we’ve also been linked with, is also very interesting – tall and quick and very gifted but possibly a little too raw?
The scouting team have recommended Benjamin Sesko to Arteta. Arsenal must activate his release clause (43m pounds )asap. It’s the best option besides Gyokeres who cost twice as much. FFP rules must be taken into account, as Arsenal need to strengthen the team in every position to remain competitive.
Surprisingly Vlahovic has dropped off the list, just at the time the Big Serbian starts to dip his bread,
Surely any of the above top five will, but we probably we will not know just yet as the gaffer likes to keeps his cards close to his chest.
Worth noting that Gyökeres also counts as homegrown. This might come in handy if we are trying to offload players such as Nelson, Nketiah, ESR, Ramsdale etc. I think our HG players at the moment are Raya, Rams, White, Saliba, Rice, Saka, Nelson, ESR, Nketiah, Martinelli and a 3rd choice youth GK.
Gyökeres could be the new Falcao/Nunez or he could be the new Jonas/Bas Dost..
He did score 21 and 17 goals in the Championship, and looking how well Toney/Watkins have done in the PL after ripping it in the Championship, it’s not an easy feat at all.
Big question DaJuhi, what were Arsenal scouts doing when Gyokeres was playing for Coventry City?
Arsenal appears to notice players only after they are bought by other European clubs failing to recognise gems in their midst; the English Championship is a very strong competition.
Gyokeres would not qualify as home-grown if he joined Arsenal. He was already 20 by the time he came to Brighton in 2018.
To be home-grown, you must have joined a “home” team by your 18th birthday and played in one for 3 years minimum.
Thanks for that interesting and informative info!
We do have one in Mika.
A highly welcome, intensely detailed,
PROPER ARTICLE; among the very best in recent times for certain.
Can I, as “politely” as possible, please request that more in this DETAILED manner would greatly enhance JA??
What stands out to me is how lax we were in NOT snapping up Gyokeres when lowly Coventry were able to get only “£15” mill for his transfer.
Our club seems sadly unable to snap up developing players before they become proven stars, as clubs like Brighton have made into an artform.
Martinelli seems to be our ONLY proven top class exception ,costing us only £7 mill.
Jon, you and me both (refer my post above). Arsenal seems to be always late to the party in identifying up and coming talent.
no Toney and no Vlahovic on the list I see
I’m OK with that as I don’t see the former as a good fit to Arsenal, and the latter is not a prolofic goal scorer
I am also concerned how players from other leagues transition to the PL
Liverpool paid £89m to bring Nunez from Portugal, even 2 years later is not what you would describe as prolific, decent yes, but Arsenal need a hit ground running 30 goals a season striker or quite frankly don’t bother as we have some ‘OK’ ones now, either proven best or nothing, worst case is a cheaper but low goalscoring alternative
Osimhem the only one with proven consistent goal scoring pedigree in a high quality league, scoring that quantity of goals against Italian defensive outfits is another feather
age profile good too, though injury record doubts
forget talk of knock down prices, and bargain reduced price, last summer over inflated bidding war likely to continue, so the €130m release clause is to start the bidding
so Arsenal will need to spend way over £100m here, a new club record without a doubt – is that wise, is that realistic given more urgent need elsewhere (goal scoring is not an urgent need)
let’s see
for me the best option for us is to bring Biereth back home, is proving to be a quality finisher of chances which is what we need, £nil transfer fee is exactly what we need, and someone prepared to sit on the bench and probably not start that often – the elephant in the >£100m room is who gets dropped from our current XI for this ‘urgently needed’ striker to come in, hmm could actually weaken this current XI!
Gyokeres looks a good bet, but what do people think about our own Mika Biereth (4 goals in 6 games for Sturm Graz) following a productive spell for Motherwell.
Bb, Biereth looks a talent; hopefully identified by the Club to be developed. Arsenal sometimes fails to develop what it has.