Arsenal are Premier League champions. That has a rather nice ring to it, doesn't it? After 22 years of failure, 22 years of anguish, anxiety, heartbreak and frustration, Mikel Arteta has put the Gunners back on the map.
It was a long ol' road back to success but the job the Spaniard has done since taking charge of his first game on Boxing Day in 2019 is nothing short of remarkable.
Gabriel-Saliba-Arteta-Gyokeres
It's a reminder of why pulling the plug isn't always the best way out. Plenty of teams around the world should take note.
It was not easy for Arteta at the start, but the board have backed him through thick and thin. Everyone at the club has now been rewarded with the title as a result.
Yet, time does not stand still. The Gunners need to strengthen over the summer and could do so by luring a mega-money forward to the Emirates Stadium.
£100m attacker wanted by Arsenal
Having won the title, you sense that very few would turn down Arsenal's advances. They are perhaps in the strongest position they have ever been going into a transfer window.
So, who could join? Well, the Gunners are looking for new forwards, primarily on the flanks. Last summer, Arteta and Andrea Berta ignored the need for a new left winger and nearly paid the price, such have been the barren spells of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli this term.
Arteta-Arsenal-Trossard
Anthony Gordon at Newcastle United is a reported target but Arsenal face strong competition from Bayern Munich where Harry Kane will no doubt be in the winger's ear.
AC Milan's Rafael Leao is another tipped to move and he is reportedly on the club's radar. Adding a body on the flanks, you sense, is the biggest priority.
Yet, Berta may not be done there. Does anyone fancy Julian Alvarez? Speaking ahead of Atletico Madrid's game with the Gunners in the Champions League, manager Diego Simeone effectively confirmed that Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG were all interested in the Argentine.
That news has been backed up several times since, with TEAMtalk providing the latest on Alvarez's situation on Wednesday, just hours after Arsenal were confirmed as champions.
Julian-Alvarez-timeless-stats
They note that due to a £100m price tag, Barca are all but resigned to seeing the former Manchester City man move elsewhere. As a result, that has put the two Champions League finalists in pole position to prise him away from Madrid, with the report suggesting they are both 'pushing hard' to secure Alvarez's signature.
As for how a deal can be structured, Atletico 'would be open' to player-plus-cash proposals.
Why Alvarez would be a huge upgrade on Gyokeres
It's safe to say that Viktor Gyokeres is one of the most polarising players in Arsenal history. Signed for £64m from Sporting last summer, the Swede arrived off the back of a campaign where he netted 54 times.
gyokeres-arsenal
Well, in Arsenal colours, he's not got anywhere near that. For large parts, he has severely underwhelmed. In certain games, he's looked incredible. The north London derby where he scored twice will live long in the memory.
His ability to score goals has rarely been called into question. With 21 this term, Gyokeres is the club's top scorer in a year where they created history. He also has one of the best conversion rates in the whole Premier League.
|Best goal conversion rate - Premier League|
|Player|Conversion rate|
|---|
|1) Will Osula|30.4%|
|2) Eli Junior Kroupi|23.8%|
|3) Noah Okafor|22.9%|
|4) Danny Welbeck|22.6%|
|5) Nick Woltemade|22.6%|
|6) Brian Brobbey|21.9%|
|7) Tomas Soucek|21.7%|
|8) Thierno Barry|21.6%|
|9) Viktor Gyokeres|21.6%|
|10) Joao Pedro|21.1%|
Yet, while his hold-up play was exceptional in the 1-0 win over Atleti two weeks ago, the striker's ability to link up with his teammates has undoubtedly been the main source of frustration in 2025/26.
Now, in the shape of Alvarez, they could sign a player who seemingly has everything you need to star at the top end of the Arsenal team.
This would not be another Gabriel Jesus situation. While the Brazilian initially transformed Arsenal's attack when he first arrived from Manchester City, he has never really looked like being the main man. Alvarez, however, certainly does.
Since leaving City behind after scoring 19 and supplying 13 assists in his final campaign at the Etihad, the 26-year-old has become a goal machine. Quite the opposite to Jesus after leaving Manchester.
Julian Alvarez Man City stats (timeless)
The World Cup winner is a "monster" in the words of Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez, scoring 29 times in 2024/25, before netting another 20 this season.
While he may not be any more prolific than Gyokeres, in every other aspect of the game, he wipes the floor with the Swede. That is particularly the case when it comes to ball-carrying.
When he's bursting forward with possession, Arsenal's number 14 resembles something of a bull in a china shop. There's no grace at all, hence why he ranks in the worst percentile in Europe's top five leagues when compared to positional peers for successful dribbles. He makes just 0.24 successful dribbles per 90. Alvarez, on the other hand, registers 1.23. The Argentina international produces as many as 4.54 progressive actions per 90 to Gyokeres' lowly haul of 1.92.
julian-alvarez-atletico-madrid
In the creative department, Alvarez is also streets ahead. The former Man City man ranks in the top 6% of strikers in Europe for big chances created per 90 with 0.43. As for the Swede, he averages just 0.12.
The difference between the two is night and day, and that's precisely why he would be worth the £100m fee this summer. There are not many players who could make the champions even better but Alvarez would.
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