The key position Arsenal must look to strengthen this summer is up front given their struggles in front of goal throughout the 2024/25 season.
Mikel Arteta is currently having to persist without Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, who are out injured for the remainder of the season. The lack of solid options has certainly been costly at times this term, including in the Premier League title race, which Liverpool lead comfortably at this stage.
It is for that reason this will be a crucial summer for the manager and the club and a number of big-name strikers have already been linked. Newcastle United's Alexander Isak is the most prominent and links first emerged in the 2024 summer transfer window, but a move never materialised.
Now, they look set to face fierce competition from the likes of Liverpool for the Sweden international's signature, while Newcastle are also desperate to tie him down to a new deal. He is certainly one to keep an eye on ahead of the transfer window and the stats prove exactly why.
Isak has scored 23 goals in his 33 appearances across all competitions, while he is also the third top scorer in the Premier League this season behind Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland. The fact the 25-year-old has already proved himself in England is another key factor likely driving Arsenal and Liverpool's interest.
Another name that has emerged in recent times is 22-year-old Hugo Ekitike, who currently plays his football for Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. The France youth international made a permanent move to Germany last summer following a successful loan spell at Frankfurt from Paris Saint-Germain.
This season, he has scored 19 goals and registered eight assists for his club across all competitions, while he is the seventh top scorer in the Bundesliga this term. The numbers are impressive, especially when it comes to assists, but Isak is still out-performing Ekitike on most metrics, making him the standout option.
That being said, the Frankfurt star is undoubtedly the more affordable and attainable option given Newcastle's known reluctance to sell Isak this summer. Which is why Liverpool's reported interest in Ekitike is unsurprising, with the top two Premier League sides set to battle it out in the transfer market.
Ekitike Isak
Games 38 33
Goals 19 23
Assists 8 5
Expected goals (xG) 13.48 15.79
Shot conversion rate 20.63 38%
Shot accuracy 55.56 68%
Key passes 30 37
Expected assists (xA) 3.64 5.09
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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