Arsenal have been blessed with some utterly superb strikers in the past.
From Ian Wright in the early 1990s to the legendary Thierry Henry in the 2000s and even Robin Van Persie in the early 2010s - although the less said about him, the better.
However, while the team are in a far better place than they were five or six years ago, it would probably be fair to say that the last great striker who played for the club left in 2022, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
pierre-emerick-aubameyang-arsenal-premier-league
Fortunately, Mikel Arteta and Co finally seem to be addressing the squad's need for a clinical number nine, as recent reports have touted one of Europe's most exciting strikers for an imminent move to the Emirates, a striker who'd be Arsenal's best since Aubameyang.
Arsenal's striker search
Given Arsenal's lack of goalscoring threat this season, it's hardly surprising that the last few weeks have seen a number of top strikers linked with the club, such as Evann Guessand and Serhou Guirassy.
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The former could reportedly be available for just £25m this summer, and while he might not be particularly well known to Premier League fans, his tally of 13 goals and 10 assists in 42 games for OGC Nice suggests he'd be worth picking up.
Guirassy, on the other hand, has a release clause worth £59m in his contract, but that too might prove to be more than fair, as in 45 appearances for Borussia Dortmund this season, he's racked up a stellar haul of 34 goals and nine assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.04 games.
guirassy-dortmund
However, to ensure they sign someone who'd be their best striker since Aubameyang, the Gunners might want someone even more prolific than the Guinea international, someone like Viktor Gyokeres.
According to a recent report from Monday's print edition of Portuguese outlet O Jogo, as relayed by Football Transfers, Arsenal have made massive progress in their pursuit of the Swedish international.
In fact, the report goes a step further, revealing that the North Londoners have struck a €65m - £55m - deal with Sporting 'to sign the striker' and that they will 'officially complete the signing' next week.
It's a lot of money to spend on a forward from outside a top-five league, but given Gyokeres' simply unreal record, it looks like it'll be money well spent, especially as he could be the club's best nine since Aubameyang.
Why Gyokeres will be Arsenal's best striker since Auba
While he left in unceremonious fashion and wasn't exactly lethal towards the end of his time in North London, it cannot be forgotten that for much of his time at Arsenal, Auba was a tour de force in front of goal.
For example, he became the fastest player in club history to hit 50 Premier League goals in July 2020, and then, even with his downturn towards the last 18 months of his time at the Emirates, he left the club with a brilliant record of 92 goals and 21 assists in 163 games.
Since he left, Arteta has used Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz as his starting strikers, and while they've all done well enough here and there, none of them have been or are particularly prolific.
Gyokeres at Sporting vs Arsenal's recent CFs
Player
Appearances (*at Arsenal)
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
Minutes per Goal Involvement
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, the Frenchman left the club with 71 goals and 35 assists in 206 games, while the Brazilian has amassed 26 goals and 20 assists in 96 games, and the German has 29 goals and 13 assists in 86 games.
In contrast, Gyokeres has been simply unstoppable since moving to Lisbon in the summer of 2023.
gyokeres-sporting
In 101 appearances for the Portuguese champions, the goalscoring "monster," as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has put the ball in the back of the net on 96 occasions and provided 28 assists, which equates to a sensational average of 1.22 goal involvements per game for just under two years.
Moreover, the Stockholm-born phenomenon has also been a dangerous outlet for the Swedish national side, as in just 26 appearances, totalling 1568 minutes, he has scored 15 goals and provided six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.23 games, or every 74.66 minutes.
Ultimately, while Arteta has had some talented forwards in his squad since Auba left, Gyokeres looks like he could be the first one to match the Gabonese icon's ability, making his supposed signing look like a masterstroke.
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The incredible international would be unreal for Arsenal.