Arsenal eyeing £80m star who “finishes like Henry”

This summer is shaping up to be something really quite special for Arsenal.

Following the underwhelming business conducted by his predecessor last year, Sporting Director Andrea Berta is wasting no time at all in his bid to turn Mikel Arteta’s side from serial runners-up to Premier League champions next season.

The Italian has already clinched the signings of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Christian Norgaard, while Noni Madueke is set for a medical at London Colney this afternoon.

Yet, in perhaps the most exciting development of all, the club now appear to have secured the services of Viktor Gyokeres, and if reports are to be believed, they’re also targeting a winger who he’ll love.

Arsenal target Gyokeres’ dream teammate

Gyokeres has long been on Arsenal’s radar, as he was touted for a move to the club for much of last summer, and then again in January.

However, when the window reopened this summer, it looked like Benjamin Sesko was going to be the Gunners’ new number nine, although once RB Leipzig demanded £85m, attention swiftly turned back to the Swede.

After a week or so of further talks, and a strike from the player himself, The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirmed that an agreement in principle has been reached with Sporting CP that will see them paid an initial fee of £55m, with £9m of performance-related add-ons.

It could be the signing that will help revolutionise the team’s frontline, and as if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners are now being linked with someone Gyokeres would love to play alongside.

At least that is according to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, who has revealed that Arsenal are one of the teams interested in Kaoru Mitoma.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keen on the Brighton & Hove Albion star, who now has just under two years remaining on his £80k-per-week contract.

A potential price is not mentioned in the report, but according to stories from earlier this summer, the Seagulls could demand a fee of up to £80m.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Mitoma has the ability to make a significant impact at Arsenal, and he could be a dream teammate for Gyokeres.

Why Gyokeres would love Mitoma

So, to assess the sorts of players that Gyokeres would love playing alongside, it’s important to look at his playstyle.

We know the Sporting star is a lean, mean goalscoring machine, but when we take a look at his league heatmap this season, we can see that he is very much a number nine who likes to spend most of his time in the penalty area.

We can see this even more clearly when looking at where he took his shots in the Champions League last season, as 19 of 24 were from inside the penalty area.

Therefore, be it through passing or dribbling, the former Coventry City man is going to love playing with attackers who can get the ball to him in these dangerous areas, and as many will be aware, Mitoma is a real threat with the ball at his feet.

The Japanese international famously wrote a university dissertation on dribbling, and it looks like it paid off, as, according to FBref, he was in the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for carries into the final third last season and the top 10% for progressive carrying distance, per 90.

However, the Seagulls ace is not just a carrying machine; he’s more than capable of chipping in with goals and assists.

In fact, in 36 league appearances last season, the “insane” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, found the back of the net on ten occasions and provided four assists for good measure.

In other words, the 28-year-old, who “finishes like Thierry Henry,” according to former teammate Christian Burgess, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.57 games.

Just imagine what his assist tally could look like playing with a striker who scored 54 goals in 52 games last season.

Moreover, as the Swedish international is such a goal threat and someone who loves to spend time in and around the penalty area, that could allow the Japanese international more space to whip in those Henry-esque curling shots from the left.

Ultimately, while he won’t be cheap, Mitoma is just the sort of winger who could facilitate Gyokeres’ game, while also thriving off of it.