After a long summer, Arsenal finally kickstart their fourth attempt at winning the Premier League tomorrow afternoon.
It feels like it could be the competitive title race for some time, but thanks to their summer business, Mikel Arteta’s side feel well-placed to attack it head-on.
Sporting Director Andrea Berta and his team have overseen six first-team additions so far, with the most significant undoubtedly being Viktor Gyokeres, and if that wasn’t enough, they are still being linked with a move for the sensational Eberechi Eze.
However, if Arsenal really want to make a splash and complete a signing that’d be better than the Swede and Englishman, they should go back in for a player they were linked with earlier this summer.
While there are always a multitude of motivations behind every transfer, it’s not hard to work out why Arsenal decided to splash £63.5m on Gyokeres this summer: goals.
The Gunners have needed a new goalscoring centre-forward for some time now, and when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, it’s hard to think of many players as good as the Swede.
For example, in just 52 appearances last season, the Stockholm-born “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 54 goals and provided 13 assists to boot.
In other words, the 27-year-old international averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, or one every 63.40 minutes, which is frankly ridiculous.
When it comes to their interest in Eze, there is perhaps a little more to it.
For example, on top of his brilliant haul of 25 goal involvements in 43 games for Crystal Palace last season, the former QPR gem can play as a traditional number ten or fill in on the left, which is an area of concern for the Gunners.
Moreover, he is Premier League-proven and proved he has what it takes to step up in the biggest games last season during the Eagles’ incredible FA Cup triumph.
In short, Gyokeres is a brilliant signing, and Eze would be as well, although if Arsenal want to make an even better purchase than both, they should go out and get someone they were linked with earlier this summer: Bradley Barcola.
While the reports touting Barcola for a move to Arsenal seem to have disappeared in recent weeks, he was briefly linked with the club back in June, and since then, stories have claimed that Paris Saint-Germain value him at around £87m.
So then, if Berta were to go out and get the young Frenchman, why would he be a better signing than Gyokeres and Eze?
Well, the first argument comes down to this output, as even though he plays on the wing, the Lyon-born superstar, whom Mattinson has dubbed “one of the best LWs in Europe,” scored 21 goals and provided 21 assists in 64 appearances, totalling 3927 minutes, last season.
That works out to a sublime average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games, or every 93.5 minutes, which trumps the Palace star’s average of one every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.
Now, you might be thinking that the Frenchman’s numbers still pale in comparison to the Swede’s, and while that is correct, you have to take into account the competitions they play in, as, according to Opta Analyst, the Portuguese league is only the eighth toughest in the world. At the same time, Ligue 1 makes it into the top five.
The second reason the “world-class” PSG gem, as dubbed by journalist Dougie Critchley, would be a better signing is down to what he team needs, as while a new striker was important, Kai Havertz was on 15 goals before his injury last season.
In contrast, neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard have impressed off the left for some time now, making it a real weak point in the side.
Finally, and this is important when it comes to squad building and future success, the Champions League winner is still just 22 years old. In contrast, the other two are both 27, meaning they will likely start becoming less effective in three to four years, compared to eight or nine.
Ultimately, Gyokeres is an excellent signing, and Eze would be as well, but from his output to his position and age, we can’t help thinking Barcola would be the best addition of the lot.
