Ivan Toney is set to leave Brentford for a ‘top club’, Victor Osimhen has a £113m release clause and the ex-Coventry City star tearing up the Portuguese league… Arsenal’s FOUR striking targets this summer
The clamour for Mikel Arteta to break the bank and sign a striker has understandably subsided considering the boat-load of goals Arsenal have scored since the winter break.
Even without their preferred No 9 option, Gabriel Jesus, the Gunners have netted an impressive 25 goals in six games and, following their 4-1 win over Newcastle, they broke one of the most obscure records in around.
Jakub Kiwior’s 69th-minute goal at the Emirates meant Arsenal became the first Premier League team to net at least twice in seven consecutive halves of football.
Still, Arteta’s side find themselves in third place, albeit only two points off the top, and they will inevitably rue costly defeats to West Ham and Aston Villa if they are unable to win their first top-flight title in 20 years.
The likes of Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney have been linked with the club, while a former Championship star has been the latest rumoured target. What are the options for Arsenal this summer and who would be the best fit?
Arsenal have turned around their woes in front of goal since returning from their winter break
Mikel Arteta’s side have won their last six Premier League games to sit just two points off leaders Liverpool
The player whose game Arsenal fans will be most familiar with is Toney. Having spent three seasons in the top flight with Brentford and scoring 36 goals, the 27-year-old is set to be in high demand this summer.
Toney missed the first-half of the campaign due to suspension for betting offences but upon his return he has allayed fears time on the sidelines have diminished his abilities.
The England striker has four goals in seven games for the Bees in the Premier League this season, operating – as he does for Thomas Frank’s side – as their most advanced player.
Toney is a particularly attractive prospect for Arsenal because of his qualities which fit the team’s current system. Much in the same way that he is often seen as the ideal understudy to Harry Kane at international level. The forward is adept at being a facilitator.
Even when Jesus is in the team, the goalscoring burden primarily falls on wide men Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. With Toney, a striker with more of an eye for goal, yet one that still possesses the ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play, the Gunners frontline could be near unstoppable.
It’s difficult to raise any objections to his signing. Age and price may be the only drawbacks but one could argue the Gunners could do with more experienced members of their squad.
Toney is all but guaranteed to leave Brentford this summer, only question is where he will end up. The same is true to Osimhen, who signed a contract extension with Napoli in December which included a release clause believed to be in the region of £104million-£113m.
Brentford star man Ivan Toney looks set to leave the Community Stadium at the end of the season and is of interest to Arsenal and Chelsea
Victor Osmimhen has endured a tumultuous season with Napoli this term, yet he has managed to score 10 goals in 20 games in all competitions
The 25-year-old was Serie A top scorer with 26 league strikes last year as Napoli won their first title in 33 years
A very large sum, even greater than the amount splurged on Declan Rice last summer. Would Arsenal be willing to go that big for the second year running? Doubtful. Regardless, the Nigerian also looks a poor fit.
The reigning African Footballer of the Year’s statistical profile resembles a player best suited for a counter-attacking system.
Osimhen is in the fourth percentile for passes attempted compared to strikers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, with just 14.24 per 90. By contrast, Toney ranks in the 71st percentile with 24.59 and Jesus is up in the 92nd percentile with 30.98.
Of course, the Brazilian is the only one of those three actually playing for a possession-based Arsenal so you’d expect the raw numbers of Osimhen to increase if he was brought in but it is clear it is not his strength.
Pass completion, progressive passes and assists paint a similar picture but the 25-year-old shines is his penetrative runs into the penalty area. Very few can match his 7.14 touches in the box per 90.
Bologna youngster Joshua Zirkzee looks to have the ingredients to seamlessly fit into Arteta’s team. The Dutchman spent three seasons at Bayern Munich before moving to Bologna for £7m last summer.
In Italy, Zirkzee has nine goals and four assists in 25 league game for the side shocking Serie A by competing with Atalanta, Roma and Fiorentina for Champions League qualification.
Most interesting about the 22-year-old is his habit of dropping deep and how involved he is in general play. Thiago Motta has largely opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation this term which sees Zirkzee as the lone striker.
Though, in reality, he takes up deeper average position that one of the wide players, sometimes both, other times even the attacking midfielder, Lewis Ferguson. Zirkzee attempts an impressive 30 passes per 90 and completes 76 per cent of them.
Joshua Zirkzee joined Bologna for just £7m from German giants Bayern Munich last summer
Viktor Gyokeres has taken the Portuguese top-flight by storm, having joined from Championship outfit Coventry City
He has 1.61 successful take-ons per game as well as 3.26 shot creating actions, statistics which put him in the 86th and 87th percentile respectively. In terms of a style fit, age, the eye-test, the Netherlands Under 21 international is ideal.
Bologna reportedly value him at £50m, which, in today’s market, is relatively cheap for a player with such pedigree.
Zirkzee’s rather unorthodox path from Munich to Parma to Anderlecht and then over to Bologna is made to look serene when compared to Viktor Gyokeres. The 25-year-old spent three years at Brighton without ever playing a league game and was instead loaned out to St Pauli, Swansea City and most notably Coventry City before signing permanently for the club in 2023.
His performances in the Championship remarkably caught the eye of Sporting Lisbon, who shelled out more than £20m to sign him last summer. Now that price looks a pittance.
Gyokeres has found the net 30 times and provided 11 assists in all competitions for Ruben Amorim’s side, including 17 in 21 Portuguese top-flight games.
Much like Zirkzee, Gyokeres is often not the furthest Sporting player forward, instead he takes up dangerous spaces between the defence and midfield. This is shown in the numbers, where the Swedish international excels in build up and chance creation.
Having only just signed for the Portuguese outfit, it is likely to take the kind of money required to bring Toney to the Emirates to get Gyokeres’ addition over the line.
Jesus’ recurring knee injuries will prompt the north London club to go after a striker this summer but Arsenal fans can be confident that they have a series of capable candidates in the names linked.
Gabriel Jesus has struggled with a recurring knee issues this season which is adding greater motivation to buy a striker this summer
Bukayo Saka is Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals after being in red-hot form in the second half of the campaign
It should also be noted that both Zirkzee and Gyokeres are playing their football for two of the most highly regarded young managers in Europe. Arteta is, of course, another. He’ll have every confidence he can get similar results.
A lot will depend on how Arsenal finish this season. A Premier League and Champions League double would breath renewed confidence in this team and might persuade the club to be more conservative in the market.
Failure to get their hands on any silverware and expect to see the side breaking the bank just as they so extravagantly did last summer.
