**Arsenal**are in a critical phase of their relationship with Mikel Arteta. He has headed up a rebuild that has taken the team to the cusp of glory, but they have suffered five straight seasons with no major trophy.
At the end of the 2024/25 campaign, the role of runners-up went their way in the **Premier League**for the third year in a row. Meanwhile, the Gunners went out in the Champions League and **Carabao Cup**semi-final, having also exited the **FA Cup**in the third round for the second successive year.
One defect united those four failures: the need for more outstanding quality in the final third.
For many fans, the final piece of the puzzle is a stellar striker. Their last truly talismanic number nine was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who bagged a brace to beat **Chelsea**in the 2020 **FA Cup**final.
Arteta fell out with the forward in the winter of 2021 and subsequent signings have suggested that a replacement in his ilk has not been a priority. But even the manager has made a "clear statement" that it is imperative to bring the best in quality for each area of the pitch— not least in the front three.
So, here are five players— all of different profiles — who could fit the bill for the hole in the attack.
Alexander Isak might have made this list for argument's sake if Newcastle United did not get into the top five and earn a place in the **Champions League**for the next campaign. But with an already expensive fee on his head, the Toon would now be much more reticent to let him leave the squad.
So, if there is credence in the media, then the Gunners are likely to go for one of two strikers this summer. The first forward would be in a prime position to shift the story of his career in England.
Joining **Brighton**in January 2018, the Swede spent three and a half seasons on their books. However, his only goal for the club came in a **Carabao Cup**contest more than two and a half years later as he mainly plied his trade in the **Championship**through loan spells at Swansea City and Coventry City.
The Sky Blues brought attention to his abilities after a transfer to the team in 2021. Two solid scoring seasons, the second of which would end in playoff final heartbreak, earned him a move to Portugal.
His record at Sporting is simply sensational. After netting 43 strikes in his first fifty outings for the club, he was even more prolific this term. The striker scored more than a goal a game during his second campaign, collecting 54 efforts from 52 matches on the way to a league and cup double.
It is like watching a bull in a china shop. His style is not refined, but he has an extremely muscular body and running power that has turned the Primeira Liga into a playground. If a deal goes through, **Arsenal**will be banking on him to overwhelm opponents with that same physicality and positivity.
The second striker possibly set to switch to N5 is one of the most high profile prospects in the papers.
Benjamin Sesko, who has just turned 22 years of age, is the youngest player on this list and the one with the most to prove in the men's game. But he has enjoyed a solid start to his professional career.
He was in the **Red Bull Salzburg**senior setup for two years before taking the well-trodden path to sister club **RB Leipzig**in the summer of 2023. There, he has continued to raise his profile.
During his first season, he scored 18 goals as part of a front two with Lois Openda, becoming the youngest player to score in seven straight **Bundesliga**fixtures at the age of 20. His total tally in all competitions ticked up to 21 strikes this campaign as he took the tag of top scorer from the Belgian.
Whenever he thrusts his frame into the air in celebration, Sesko signals to onlookers an idea of what he could become. His physical potential and speed across the ground have seen some say that there are shades of Erling Haaland in his style, but he has work to do to produce the goods at an elite level.
Arteta is a manager who likes to work with malleable pieces. Maybe this is the reason that he has been a big advocate for signing the Slovenian, and if that is the case, all eyes will be on the dugout to drive his development decisively forward in a campaign that carries a strong burden of expectation.
French football is in fashion as a pulsating Paris Saint-Germain got their hands on the **Champions League**crown for the first time in their history. One of the ousted members of their squad has shone in his new home across the continent and he courts the interest of several **Premier League**clubs.
**Hugo Ekitiké**might have been a celebrated name on Tyneside if he had chosen to join Newcastle United in 2022 instead of moving to the French capital from Reims. But do not let his short stint with the Parisians fool you into thinking that this is not one of the most talented forwards in Europe.
The Toon have hailed **Alexander Isak**as their star striker and the similarities to the 22-year-old are clear: both are tall, wiry figures with good feet for their frames and an eye for the back of the net.
But Ekitiké is even more of a mazy dribbler than the Swedish striker in tight spaces. With a range of feints, delays, and cuts, he can hold up the ball effectively to buy his teammates time to get up the field, or he can look to go it alone, turning transitions into frequent final third entries for his team.
Whether that was with Omar Marmoush in a front two or a lone striker in the second half of the season, he was one of the main reasons that Eintracht Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga.
As Frankfurt have excelled with a more counterattacking approach over the last twelve months, he has highlighted many aspects of his game that lie outside of the eighteen yard box. But the Frenchman also has a good range of solutions in scoring situations— especially the old school toe-poke finish.
Isak had been subject to serious interest from **Arsenal**when he was at Real Sociedad and with two successive seasons of over 20 goals in the Premier League, he feels like one that got away from the club. If they want to look for someone in a similar ilk, they should not dare to pass up on Ekitiké.
Two years ago, a highly coveted striker was the leading light for an Italian giant as they ran away with the Scudetto to end a quest for glory that lasted decades. Could he repeat the feat on English shores?
Victor Osimhen was the talk of the town across Europe, but his spell soured at Napoli, and he has been in the wilderness with a year on loan at Galatasaray. There, he has shown his sharp shooting boots, bagging 37 goals in 41 games, and it could be the time to take a punt on his evident quality.
The Nigerian has the needle in his game to torment defensive lines from minute one until minute ninety. He stands at just over six feet in height, but he has a towering presence in the air, powerfully pounds down the channels on the floor, and has an undying will to wreak havoc out of lost causes.
The Gunners have gone to a higher level with the grit in their defence, and at the other end of the pitch, **Kai Havertz**has shown something of a nasty streak in his character. But Osimhen operates with a level of chaos that sees no equal among English clubs now Jhon Duran is in Saudi Arabia.
Those traits are not new observations in Osimhen's game. However, the circumstances have changed around a possible exit. Napoli now have a new marksman in Romelu Lukaku, who is a favourite of Antonio Conte, and the terms of the financial package might not be quite so steep for the forward.
**Arsenal**are often accused of looking at the long term rather than seizing the moment. Out of all the touted candidates, an acquisition of Osimhen would indicate the intent to win now on this litmus test.
Even if the Gunners got four more points and went to the final matchday in the title charge for the 2023/24 season, many fans would argue the style of football was at its best under him the year before.
One of the most potent pieces in their blueprint was Gabriel Jesus. The forward arrived from **Man City**with a point to prove in the summer of 2022, taking the league by storm with his willingness to drift to the wings, drive into tight gaps, and give Gabriel Martinelli an easier time attacking the box.
A lot of things have changed since then but if that idea is still appealing to Arteta, then there might be a candidate to try and trick of bringing in a Brazilian forward from a club in the Premier League.
Joao Pedro has been one of the most impressive figures from the fountain of talent at **Brighton**in the last two years. This term, he hit double figures in the league for the first time in his career, having notched 20 strikes in his debut campaign and six from six Europa League fixtures for the Seagulls.
Apart from being a capable finisher with a sharp shift and shoot manoeuvre, he has the instinct to pose problems for defences in all the roles across a front three. This transfer would not be about bringing in a one-stop solution so much as a player who could strengthen the side in several areas. It might not be the most satisfying step for fans, but it could chime in with Arteta's approach to have a smaller squad.