After two seasons of coming painfully close to dethroning Manchester City in the Premier League, there was a belief among some that this season would finally be Arsenal's year.
However, we are now 15 league games in, and while Mikel Arteta's side find themselves two points clear of Pep Guardiola's juggernaut, they're six points off table toppers Liverpool.
It's been a mixture of unfortunate injuries, silly suspensions and lack of cutting-edge in attack that has seen the Gunners fail to capitalise on the Champions' own poor form.
Arsenal's form this season
Competition
Games
Wins
Draws
Losses
Goals For
Goals Against
All Stats via Transfermarkt
So, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see recent reports linking the club to an up-and-coming striker who could be a difference-maker, either in January or next year and possibly even be an upgrade on Kai Havertz.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in Bologna striker Santiago Castro.
santiago-castro
The report claims that the Gunners have had scouts watching him in recent Serie A matches and have been impressed with what they've seen, although they aren't the only ones, as Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Everton, Juventus and Inter Milan are also supposedly keen on the 20-year-old poacher.
However, while the level of competition is far from ideal, the good news is that signing the Argentine forward won't cost the North Londoners an outrageous amount, as the report has revealed that an offer of around €40m could tempt the Italians into selling, which comes to about £32m.
Santiago Castro Bologna
It might be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Castro's impressive form, it is worth pursuing, especially as he could be an upgrade on Havertz.
How Castro compares to Havertz
Now, to determine whether Castro could in fact be an upgrade on Havertz, we need to see how the pair stack up against one another, starting with the most important metric of all for a centre-forward: pure output.
castro-bologna-arsenal
Interestingly, while the Argentine gem has scored fewer goals than the German this season, he's been more productive in the time he's been on the pitch.
For example, in 20 appearances, totalling 1336 minutes, he's found the back of the net on five occasions and provided six assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.81 games, or every 121.45 minutes.
In contrast, in 21 appearances, totalling 1767 minutes, the former Chelsea has scored nine goals and provided two assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.90 games, or every 160.63 minutes.
So, with the young Bologna ace, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed "one of the most interesting young strikers in Europe," coming out on top for pure output, is it the same story when we take a look at their underlying numbers?
Castro vs Havertz
Statistics
Non-penalty expected G+As
Actual Non-Penalty G+As
Shots
Shots on Target
Passing Accuracy
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Goal-Creating Actions
Successful Take-Ons
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season
Indeed, it is, as he comes out ahead in the majority of relevant metrics, including but not limited to actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots on target, passing accuracy, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.
Ultimately, Havertz has been a useful signing for Arsenal, but should the club want to improve their attacking options, then signing the exciting Castro in January or next summer seems like a no-brainer, especially as his rate of return and underlying numbers point to him being an upgrade on the German international.
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