“We need a No.9. Nobody is going to be asking for a No.9 after you win 5-1. But we should be asking for one – the situation is still the same. We’ve been asking for a No.9 for four transfer windows.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Those were the wise words of Thierry Henry after Arsenal demolished Manchester City in the Premier League. He was spot on and a few days later Kai Havertz had one of his worst games for the club, 48 hours after the January transfer window closed.
We understand why Mikel Arteta did not sign a new striker in the winter window. January signings scream panic and he felt there is no point spending for the sake of it. There was a limp attempt to snatch Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa but £40million was never going to cut it and was nothing more than a ‘look, we tried’ offer, without being fully in on the signing.
The lack of activity means the Gunners will need to be very active at the end of the season, which is understandable but awfully frustrating. They are becoming Next Season FC and have grown a habit of failing to use the mid-season transfer window to capitalise on an opportunity to win important silverware.
Havertz is a very good footballer and has scored goals at a decent rate up front for Arsenal, but he is not the answer in the long term. There are few doubts that Arteta will sign a new striker in the summer and we have looked at the top candidates, ranking them by how likely they are to join and how good a fit they are for Arsenal.
5) Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
There is an argument for Lautaro Martinez being the best player out these five but a move to Arsenal is comfortably the most unrealistic of the lot.
The Argentine has been linked with an Inter exit for a few years but he is still there and now comfortably a club legend, helping the Nerazzurri to two Serie A titles, two Coppa Italias, three Supercoppa Italianas, and to the Champions League final in 2023 and Europa League final three years earlier.
Links to Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United have been frequent in recent years, yet it never felt like it was ever that close to happening.
While the likelihood of this transfer ever happening is slim to none, we can still dream and hope that one of the best strikers in the world will be playing in Our League next season.
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4) Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting)
There are some reservations about Viktor Gyokeres, and the main one is that he has yet to prove himself in a top five league. Is that a lazy take? Perhaps. Is it relevant? Absolutely. There is no doubting Gyokeres’ ability to score goals, mind. This fella knows where the onion bag is.
The Swede’s 2024 was ridiculous, scoring 52 goals in all competitions for Sporting. That sort of return cannot be ignored and we bloody aren’t, all right? By discrediting the Portuguese top flight we are inadvertently putting an asterisk next to his goal record, which he doesn’t deserve.
What Arsenal seem to need is a true focal point up front and someone who will be in the right place at the right time. Gyokeres might not be the most technically gifted frontman but his work off the ball, physicality and striker know-how means he should be a success at the Emirates, if he is the man Arteta desires.
Havertz is a tidy player who often drops deep to spray the ball out wide or lay off to his midfielders, but every time he does that, there is nobody in the box to aim for. Not only is the German pretty slow, but he has a similarly lethargic running style to Mesut Ozil, making it look like he can’t and won’t bust a gut to get on the end of a delivery. There would be no such issue with big Gyok up top.
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3) Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
There are clear reservations from big clubs to take a punt on Victor Osimhen, but if Arsenal are looking for a striker to fire them to a league title they should look no further. Osimhen did just that for Napoli in 2022/23 and is a clear win-now option for Arteta and Arsenal.
At 26 years young, Osimhen is arguably entering his prime years, which is scary when you consider what his pre-prime years have been like. He first hit double figures for goals in a league campaign back in 2018/19 for Belgian side RSC Charleroi, netting 13 in 25. He then scored 13 in 27 for Lille, 10 in 24 for Napoli, 14 in 27, 26(!) in 32 as Napoli won Serie A, 15 in 25 last season, and currently has 12 in 16 for Galatasaray – where he is on loan for 2024/25.
There is an unidentified – yet pretty blatant – con to signing Osimhen: he has baggage. There is not really anyone on record saying Osimhen has an attitude problem or is a bad egg, but there have been some notable issues during his time in Italy, such as calling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s agent a “dumb f**k”.
Last summer was messy but we can’t really blame Osimhen for wanting out of Naples. He was their best player in a title-winning season and felt under-appreciated, while Napoli posted that completely bizarre and inappropriate TikTok video in September 2023.
The fact no English club has signed Osimhen when he is available for transfer leans into the baggage theory. Chelsea should have been all over it last summer and probably in the winter window as well and Arsenal have shied away from pursuing the Nigerian international. Sometimes you can look past an awkward personality if they win you football matches.
2) Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
Hands down the best candidate to lead the line for Arsenal, the signing of Alexander Isak has a rather large downside: he would cost an unholy amount of money.
So he should as well. Isak would be untouchable if PSR was not a thing, but it is, meaning the Magpies will sell if they receive a £120million+ offer. It is hard to imagine Arsenal coughing up such a fee and there is bound to be some tax involved considering the needle between the two clubs. At the end of the day, money talks.
Arsenal are stingy and that will hold them back from being aggressive in their pursuit of Isak and a derisory £65m opening bid will only make negotiations more difficult. If they want him, they will have to make an acceptable opening bid. If not, Newcastle and the player will not take them seriously.
Newcastle are a club on the up and seem to have Arsenal’s number on the pitch, which should play on Isak’s mind if Arteta’s side come in for him. While that is true, the Gunners are a bigger club and significantly closer to winning the Premier League and Champions League, which should hold more value to him.
The Magpies showed a willingness to sell Anthony Gordon last summer and included a release clause in Bruno Guimaraes’ most recent contract extension, so they are open to offers, even if Isak is the most irreplaceable player in their squad. We expect Arsenal to test the waters at the very least. If they fail, they should and probably will move on to…
1) Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)
Benjamin Sesko is a very tall man, making him perfect for Mikel Arteta. Just imagine him at corners…
Sesko has it all. He is rapid, can score goals from anywhere, is outstanding in the air, and impressive technically. He is also only 21 years old and expected to be available for transfer in the summer transfer window.
While Isak is the dream target, Sesko is capable of reaching the same level and is a much more realistic transfer target.
Arsenal reportedly wanted to sign the Slovenian in January but it was never going to happen mid-season. They opted not to sign an alternative, although a ‘look, we tried’ bid was made for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, who does not appear on this list because of his age (29) and asking price (at least £60m).
We think Sesko is capable of transforming the Arsenal attack and given his age, he has the potential to be a game changer for years to come.
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