Arsenal are in the market for a new striker.placeholder image
Arsenal are in the market for a new striker. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko continue to be linked to Arsenal, but perhaps the ideal solution is closer to home?
Arsenal remain on the hunt for a new talisman this summer as new sporting director Andrea Berta looks to equip Mikel Arteta with what he needs to launch a sustained Premier League title charge next season.
Most obviously, that means buying a new striker. The Gunners struggled without the injured Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus at times last term. Even when fit, while important first team members, there’s a feeling that neither of the duo would score enough goals to win a league title.
There’s been no shortage of transfer rumours but two key targets appear to have emerged for Arsenal. The first is Sporting CP bagsman Viktor Gyokeres and the second is RB Leipzig marksman Benjamin Sesko.
Arsenal lock in on two striking targets
Gyokeres is the more prolific option from the two but is also wanted by former Sporting manager Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. The 27-year-old plundered 54 goals in all competitions last term, including six in eight Champions League outings, but is yet to debut in one of Europe’s top five leagues. All the signs point to a player who would transition well, but Arsenal cannot afford any risk.
RB Leipzig man Sesko has Bundesliga experience, which is a division more akin to the Premier League than the Liga Portugal. He scored 13 league goals last season and, at 22 years old, is only going to keep getting better.
The Gunners need to sign a player at the top of his game now. Arsenal supporters aren’t hoping to win a league title in a few years, they are hungry for it now. That’s why Aston Villa talisman Ollie Watkins is perhaps a better option than both the others on the continent.
Andrea Berta should prioritise Ollie Watkins swoop
Arsenal saw a £60 million bid rejected by Aston Villa in January but there are some murmurs that interest in the player persists. Portuguese outlet Record, who have been all over the Gyokeres links, claim that the London outfit are still in touch with the player’s representatives and that he could be available for less than £40 million.
It’s important not to forget just how good Watkins is. He’s hit double figures in the Premier League every season since signing for the Midlands outfit from Brentford in 2020. The past three seasons, his tally has been 15, 19 and 16.
At Arsenal, playing in front of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, with Bukayo Saka out wide, that figure would surely reach 20. If promised 20 goals by Sesko or Gyokeres, Arteta would snap your hand off.
Speaking about Watkins last season, former Manchester United defender Phil Jones said: "He is a terrific player - he has shown that for club and country now. What I like about him is that he can come short and offer that dynamic, but he can also go in behind. He is a real handful and he is quite comfortable playing on the shoulder of the defender."
That profile is the type of player that would slot well into Arteta’s Arsenal system. Watkins knows the other teams in the divisions and would take no time adjusting to the league. He could help the Gunners to a quick start in the Premier League this season.
Watkins is somewhat unsettled at Villa Park too, a situation Arsenal could look to capitalise on. Marcus Rashford has now left Villa Park and returned to Manchester United, which could aid Watkins’ fight for a place in the starting XI but the chance to be the main man at Arsenal would no doubt tempt him to move away from the Midlands.
Having only been used as a substitute in Villa’s Champions League quarter finals against PSG, Watkins said: "I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games. I am not going to lie, I was fuming that I wasn't playing - I let him [Unai Emery] know that. He's the manager, you have to respect his decision, [but] I am not one of these players happy to sit on the bench.
"It is something I have not experienced before, to miss out on the biggest stage. I wanted to be out on the pitch for much longer. I have played a big part to get to where we are today and I want to play in those games."
In other news, Arsenal sign £49m winger, Brazil star and Man Utd target in dream starting XI if transfer rumours are true.
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