Arsenal's perceived need for a striker has been a point of discussion amongst supporters for some time, but the reality remains very murky in regard to whether one will arrive. Yes, there are links, and football.london understands that names like Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko have been discussed internally in the past.
However, the shake-up behind the scenes with Edu Gaspar resigning from his position as sporting director has brought the curtain back down, making it very hard to know what is now going on or if some things have since changed.
While the January transfer window will have been planned to a degree while Edu was in office, the interim presence of Jason Ayto at the forefront of Arsenal’s recruitment while the search for a replacement is ongoing does not guarantee new ideas will not win out from previous intentions. There is also the restriction that the winter market itself holds on top of everything else, which can suffocate a side from moving freely for what they desire.
It was a prosperous window in the summer, with tens of millions raised with the sales of Emile Smith Rowe, Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah among some of the add-ons and sell-on clause benefits that were also received.
That said, Arsenal have worked within the confines of Profit and Sustainability regulations and have a process which aims to continue to do so. The loan of David Raya in 2023 revealed just how restricted the club was, and sticking to the £30million asking price of Nketiah the following year - risking a lot to get the fee the club wanted - again highlighted Arsenal's concern with those regulations.
The strikers that would transform Arsenal and upgrade the position from Kai Havertz are far from cheap should the Gunners make a move. The aforementioned Gyokeres currently has an £80million-plus release clause and has already ruled out a move in the winter window.
Meanwhile, the other target appreciated by Mikel Arteta is Alexander Isak. He is yet to sign a new deal with Newcastle and the longer the situation rumbles on, whispers of a desire to take a step up and move to a Champions League club which Arsenal of course are.
However, again, the price tag is assumed to be potentially over £100million, and that in January simply does not seem realistic. Therefore, that leaves Arsenal with two options.
Firstly, opt to sign a cheaper striker who would come in as more of a competitive depth option for Havertz. It would be unlikely to be an upgrade on the starting XI, but perhaps an improvement on Gabriel Jesus. Yet, with ambitions to win the league both this season and in the future, whether this is the right move is certainly debatable.
The other pathway is to sign a different player: a forward, but a player who offers quality in multiple roles. Personally, I have offered Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, who can play centrally, but mainly plays off the left flank as an option to consider.
Moving for a player like this or an alternative would leave the centre-forward target for the summer when the likes of Gyokeres might indeed then be available and even other options could emerge. Arsenal will not sign players for the sake of it and quite rightly too.
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