Right, Andrea Berta, what have you got for us? Arsenal fans will hope that once the transfer window ends, a striker has signed on the dotted line.
There aren’t many dead certainties in football or sport in general, but the addition of a new centre-forward would undoubtedly boost Mikel Arteta’s hopes of winning silverware next season.
Truth be told, the record of the club’s strikers was not awful in 2024/25. Kai Havertz was on for a 20-goal season if he didn’t sustain a hamstring injury over the winter and Mikel Merino, for all the discussion surrounding him, had a terrific end to the campaign.
The Spaniard notably scored against Real Madrid and once all was said and done, finished the season with six goals in 12 games as a striker. It wasn’t a flash in the pan either as he netted for Spain during the recent set of international fixtures.
That said, they cannot rely on those two again heading into 2025/26.
So, what’s the latest? Well, talks were opened to sign RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko a few weeks ago and it’s reported that Arsenal are indeed still pushing to sign the Slovenian powerhouse this summer.
Sky German’s Florian Plettenburg revealed last week that there remains a ‘positive’ feeling around the deal, but there is no agreement in place yet. A sticking point continues to be the price tag with Leipzig looking for something between £68m and £85m.
As a result, Arsenal are continuing to do work on Viktor Gyokeres, with the Swede now very much keen on signing for the Gunners amid interest from Manchester United. The latest on that deal is that the Sporting striker is reportedly now ‘dreaming’ of heading to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
But, what if there was a better option than both? Well, that player would well be out there over the forthcoming months.
Indeed, according to one GOAL transfer correspondent, Arsenal are one of the teams to have held talks over signing Napoli’s Victor Osimhen this summer.
The Nigerian is attracting plenty of interest with Galatasaray, Juventus, PSG, Chelsea, Manchester United, Milan and Real Madrid said to have had contact with the forward.
Osimhen was valued at over £100m last summer but Napoli struggled to find a suitor and as a result, he spent the campaign on loan at Galatasaray.
Now, his value has fallen to around £63m which would be a more attractive price than Sesko’s valuation, in particular
Sesko is very much a raw talent. While he bagged 21 goals in all competitions throughout 2024/25, only 13 of those came in Bundesliga action. For someone who could cost over £80m, you could argue that Arsenal may well end up overpaying here
However, you cannot argue with his skill set. He’s tall, he’s quick, he’s physical and he’s already been described as the “new Erling Haaland” by scout Jacek Kulig.
As for Gyokeres, well, you’re probably going to get goals. There are not very many players on the planet capable of scoring at the rate he’s been scoring at over the last few years.
Since trading Coventry for Lisbon, the Sweden international has been on fire at Sporting. He scored 54 goals in 52 games this season, adding to the 43 in 50 he netted throughout 2023/24. He’s a rampant goal machine, that is evident. However, there is a lingering question: can he do it in a top five league? There are some doubters.
Osimhen, on the other hand, has proven over a number of years now that he can perform at the highest level of the game. He’s a ready-made option and there’s a reason most of the top clubs in Europe are looking at him.
Like Gyokeres, Osimhen was playing in a lower quality league this season – the top-flight of Turkey – but he was incredibly destructive. The 26-year-old scored 26 goals in 30 league matches and added another 11 in as many games in cup competitions.
It follows the trend of Osimhen scoring a bucket load of goals wherever he goes. It was at Lille where the “monster” forward, as he’s been described by analyst Ben Mattinson, first became something of a household name.
The Nigeria international scored 18 in 38 for Les Dogues and in a Napoli shirt, has 76 in 133 outings, an average of 19 per season.
For some, it might be crucial to learn that 65 of those goals have come in Serie A, where he notably led Napoli to the title in 2022/23, becoming a cult hero in the process.
An immense physical presence, the aforementioned Mattinson has also labelled him as a “beast in the air”, highlighting his ability to “hold up play
In contrast, that’s an area where Gyokeres perhaps struggles more with Mattinson indicating that the Swede has a “heavy first touch” and “doesn’t anticipate contact or shield the ball well.” Those are red flags in his eyes and as a result, it does indicate that Osimhen could be the better option.
He’s an animal in front of goal, has clever movement like Gyokeres and can offer something else in the build-up play too. That final factor could well be decisive for Arteta who enjoys a forward who isn’t just a one-trick pony.
