It’s safe to say that Arsenal’s pre-season of 2025 hasn’t been the best. Attacking fluency has been lacking and the same old patterns in the final third have been evident.
As Myles Lewis-Skelly acknowledged on Saturday, the Gunners needed to make a “statement” ahead of the Premier League’s return next weekend and did just that in their final pre-season game.
At last, Mikel Arteta’s men looked fluent, they looked in the groove and they looked like title challengers again.
During a 3-0 win over Athletic Club, Bukayo Saka bagged his second of pre-season but the biggest noise was reserved for new star striker, Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swede didn’t score a single league goal with his head last term but his first goal in Arsenal colours came as a header. Martin Zubimendi’s teasing cross from the right found Gyokeres who darted across his marker and found the back of the net.
The Swede is up and running but Arteta needs more attacking reinforcements before the window slams shut.
There is a sense that Arsenal need to sell before they can dive back into the market again but time is running out and the north Londoners need some more spice in their forward line.
Gyokeres is done and sealed, as too is Noni Madueke, but another winger would certainly go down a treat.
Eberechi Eze remains the number one target for the remaining weeks of the window but Arsenal have not been forthcoming with a bid yet despite talks with the player’s representatives behind the scenes.
It’s been widely reported that Andrea Berta and Co will need to meet his £68m release clause in order to prise him away from Selhurst Park but a cheaper alternative may well be emerging.
Indeed, according to reports in Spain, Arsenal are very much interested in Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman with it suggested that they are preparing a bid of £39m.
Lookman has attracted the interest of Inter Milan this summer and the Italian giants are in the driving seat to secure the Nigerian’s signature.
Inter have already seen a bid rejected and Arsenal could now pounce on the situation, with the report noting that Lookman’s name is ‘being mentioned strongly’ in north London as a possible option.
No formal negotiations have taken place yet but the player wants out of Atalanta so things could accelerate swiftly if Berta coughed up the necessary funds.
Arsenal may have Saka in their ranks but it’s been a long old while since the Gunners had a truly prolific wide forward in their ranks.
Indeed, after the arrival of Gyokeres, signing another winger has been the biggest demand from supporters.
The likes of Eze and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo have both been linked but Lookman, a player possessing experience of English football already, is more of a goalscorer than both of those players.
Possessing the ability to play off the left or as a central striker, he certainly boasts positional similarities to Alexis who began his Arsenal career off the left but became a devastating centre forward at the Emirates.
During his debut campaign in England, the Chilean superstar scored 25 goals in all competitions, 18 of which came in 30 appearances from the left wing.
A 17-goal campaign followed in 2015/16 and then in 2016/17, his best in London, Sanchez scored 30 times, 17 of which came in 24 outings as a centre-forward.
Not just a goalscorer, Alexis was dazzling with the ball at his feet. During that 2016/17 campaign, only four players – Eden Hazard (143), Wilfried Zaha (142) and Adama Traore (136) – completed more dribbles in the Premier League than the Chile international (109).
Well, Lookman is certainly cut from a similar cloth. Hailed as “one of the best forwards in Europe” by journalist Oma Akatugba, he has certainly shown that since moving to Italy.
Last season, the former Everton man found the net on 20 occasions in 40 games. During the 2023/24 term, he scored 17, seven of which came on the left wing and a further seven came as a centre-forward.
Like Sanchez, he’s versatile. Like Sanchez, he’s also an incredible dribbler. Indeed, no Serie A player attempted more dribbles (186), or had more touches in box (170) last season.
It’s safe to say that the 27-year-old has come a long way since his days at Charlton, Everton and Fulham. He’s now an elite forward who could transform Arsenal’s threat from the left-hand side of the pitch.
