Alexander Isak St James Park Newcastle United EPL
St James Park Newcastle United
Arsenal are determined to bring in a new centre-forward during the upcoming transfer window and according to a report in Fichajes, the Gunners still haven’t given up hope of signing Alexander Isak.
Isak has been on Arsenal’s radar for almost a year but Newcastle’s high demands have forced the Gunners to look elsewhere. Since the appointment of Andrea Berta, Arsenal are said to be actively pursuing Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres however, Fichajes is claiming that the club will still try and sign Isak.
The Spanish outlet is suggesting that Arsenal are willing to meet Newcastle’s demands and pay €150 million to sign the prolific goalscorer on a long-term deal.
Alexander Isak vs Viktor Gyokeres: Statistical comparison
Both strikers have done wonderfully well for their respective clubs and in the end, it will come down to fine margins. We take a look at the major stats that could help determine who will be better suited to lead the line under Mikel Arteta next season.
Comparison Basis – Respective 24/25 League Season Alexander Isak Viktor Gyokeres
Goals 23 38
xG 20.3 29.4
xA 3.58 6.87
Shots on target 44 75
Passing accuracy 76.3% 73.8%
Chances created 42 62
Touches in opposition box 208 313
Successful dribbles 42 57
Alexander Isak does not have a better record in the current season but he is playing in the far superior Premier League so that kind of balances things out. However, apart from his fine form in Portugal, Gyokeres has also lit up the Champions League by making 7 goal contributions in 8 appearances. In 606 minutes of European football, the striker has scored 6 goals from just 11 shots on target.
If Arsenal wish to dominate Europe, Arteta will need someone with top-tier Champions League pedigree and currently, Viktor Gyokeres is that man.
Who should Mikel Arteta sign to lead the line?
Despite the far superior numbers, we strongly believe Alexander Isak will be better suited for Arteta’s plans because the Swedish international won’t need time to adjust to the Premier League.
Gyokeres has played 97 games for Coventry but that was in the Championship so ideally, the 26-year-old will need time to settle down at the Emirates Stadium. Isak has very similar qualities to that of the Sporting man but he can come in and make an instant impact.
However, it makes no sense for the Gunners to spend €150 million on a single player, especially when they have other problematic areas to look into.
Mikel Arteta will need to sign a creative and a central midfielder with urgency and because Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz will both leave, the manager will demand at least two new centre-forwards in the summer. In such a scenario, the club need to scrap the idea of Alexander Isak and they should look to sign Gyokeres for around €75 million.