When Arsenal claimed their first Premier League title under the great Arsene Wenger back in 1997/98, the Gunners' star trio of Ian Wright, Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp all hit double figures for league goals, the latter man leading the way with 16 that season.
In 2025/26, and with just six top-flight games remaining, only Viktor Gyokeres (12) has broken double figures for the league leaders, way ahead of Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka in second (six).
Such long-standing woes in the forward line may ultimately matter little for a side also into the last four of the Champions League, yet Mikel Arteta's men appear to be crying out for a new attacking spark.
Arsenal - Top PL scorers 25/26
Player
Gyokeres
Eze
Saka
Zubimendi
Trossard
Rice
Merino
Timber
Gabriel
Those heady days of Bergkamp and co appear a long way off, considering the struggles of the north London side's current pool of forwards, with work underway to ensure progress is made in that department ahead of next season.
Arsenal have already begun work over signing £104m upgrade
Mikel Merino, sidelined since January, has still scored more league goals this season than the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli, a damning indictment on that misfiring quartet.
Mikel-Merino-Arsenal
A new winger appears to be the priority by all accounts, with reports earlier this week having suggested that Anthony Gordon is a leading target, with the Englishman said to be favouring a move to London above any other city.
That interest in the wantaway Newcastle United man has also been corroborated by The Athletic's David Ornstein, albeit with the respected insider also providing an insight into further targets being considered.
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Speaking in a Q and A, Ornstein suggested that work has already begun on potential summer moves, with it said to be "clear" that Arsenal want to sign a new forward.
While he did not claim that anything is concrete as yet, Ornstein did confirm that Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez is among those that the Gunners have liked "for a while".
In terms of a price tag, it has previously been reported that Alvarez could fetch a fee in the region of £104m, having made the move to Spain from Manchester City on a £64.4m deal back in 2024.
Julian Alvarez could be the modern-day Bergkamp at Arsenal
Pep Guardiola, a multiple Premier League winner, doesn't get much wrong, it must be said, although the City boss has let a fair few superstars slip through the net in recent years, be it Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and, of course, Alvarez.
Julian Alvarez Man City stats (timeless)
The World Cup winner spent just over two years at the Etihad after joining from River Plate in January 2022, scoring and assisting 55 goals in just 103 games, while part of the club's treble success in 2022/23.
Alvarez had to contend with the presence of Erling Haaland ahead of him in the centre-forward pecking order, yet still managed to impress in a variety roles, ending his final campaign at the club by reaching double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League.
That came despite rarely starting as an out-and-out striker, instead flourishing off the physical focal point of Haaland, with Arsenal legend Martin Keown notably making the comparison to the aforementioned Bergkamp at the time.
"He reminds me of Bergkamp because he starts as a striker and he just sort of wanders into that [midfield] position, and you're wondering who is going to pick him up."
As Keown alluded to, the 26-year-old is almost impossible to contain and pin down, as has been evident during his time under Diego Simeone's watch.
Julian-Alvarez-timeless-stats
In as many games as he played in for City, Alvarez already has 47 goals and 17 assists, having also racked up 85 goal involvements in his 122 games back in Argentina. Much like Bergkamp, he is just as much a creator as he is a goalscorer in that number nine berth.
Prolific wherever he's been, the 51-cap international has been particularly lethal in this season's Championship, up to nine goals in 13 games, ahead of the upcoming clash with the Gunners.
Three of those came against Arsenal's north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, in the last-16, with that serving as a reminder of the damage that he can inflict up against Premier League opposition.
The modern-day Bergkamp, as a forward who isn't pigeonholed into one clear role, Alvarez - even if he costs a sizeable fee - looks like the perfect summer signing as far as Arsenal are concerned.
dennis-bergkamp-premier-league-assists
As noted previously by Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez, he's simply a "monster" in the final third.
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[Arsenal eyeing "one of the best wingers in the world" who Ange wanted at Spurs](https://www.footballfancast.com/arsenal-eyeing-one-of-the-best-wingers-in-the-world-ange-wanted-at-spurs/ "Arsenal eyeing "one of the best wingers in the world" who Ange wanted at Spurs")
The Gunners want attacking reinforcements this summer.