Arsenal set to hold talks over signing £70m “monster”

With their entire season now hinging on the Champions League, it’s obvious where Arsenal need to strengthen this summer: attack.

Mikel Arteta’s side still boast the best defence in the Premier League, and with Martin Zubimendi looking like he will be joining Declan Rice in midfield this summer, it’s evident that up top is where the Gunners are lacking.

The club must share this sentiment, as the last few months have seen a whole host of strikers touted for moves to the Emirates, with Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak being one of the most significant and consistent.

However, with stories suggesting he could cost up to an eye-watering £150m, it’s a move that feels out of reach, which could explain recent reports linking the North Londoners to another free-scoring forward who’d be the perfect answer to the Toon star.

Arsenal’s striker search

With Arsenal clearly needing a new centre-forward this summer, it’s worth looking at some of the other names that have been linked with them recently, such as Benjamin Sesko.

The Slovenian international has long been touted for a move to the Emirates, but the £58m links feel that bit more substantial this time, and considering he’s already racked up 20 goals and six assists this season, he’d surely be a great addition to the squad.

Someone who wouldn’t cost the Gunners a penny in transfer fees is Jonathan David. The Canadian international’s contract with LOSC Lille comes to an end in the summer, and with an incredible track record of 96 goals and provided 24 assists in his last 181 club appearances, he’d be an unreal free agent.

However, if Arteta and Co want a genuine answer to Isak’s game-changing abilities this summer, they’ll need a statement signing of their own, which is where Viktor Gyokeres comes in.

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, the Gunners are now ready to ‘up the ante in their pursuit’ of the Swedish international.

In fact, the report has revealed that the North Londoners have made him their ‘main focus’ ahead of the transfer window and are set to hold talks with his representatives about a move.

It’s a move that could reportedly cost Arsenal around £70m, and while that is a lot of money, this is a deal they should be looking to conclude as soon as possible, as he might be the perfect answer to Isak.

Why Gyokeres is Arsenal’s perfect answer to Isak

Okay, the first and most obvious reason Gyokeres could be the perfect answer to Isak for Arsenal is his price tag.

With him potentially costing £80m less than the Toon star, his transfer wouldn’t completely disrupt the club’s other recruitment plans for the summer, in turn allowing Arteta to sign another winger and possibly a further, up-and-coming attacker who could be slowly introduced into the side.

On top of costing far less than the former Real Sociedad star, the Sporting “powerhouse”, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, is also far sturdier and more reliable.

For example, throughout his entire career, the former Coventry City star has missed just five games for club and country, and one of those was so that he could rest.

In stark contrast, the Magpies’ talismanic marksman has missed a staggering 67 games for club and country, which, for someone who is still only 25, is more than a slight concern.

Finally, when it comes down to their raw output, the Stockholm-born “monster,” as dubbed by Mattinson, actually blows the Newcastle ace out of the water.

For example, in just 48 appearances, totalling 3858 minutes, he’s scored 52 goals and provided 12 assists for Sporting, which comes out at a staggering average of 1.33 goal involvements per game, or one every 60.28 minutes.

In contrast, Isak has scored 26 goals and provided six assists in 39 appearances, totalling 3054 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.21 games, or every 95.43 minutes.

Granted, the latter is playing in a far harder league, but the sheer amount of goals scored by the former is out of this world.

Ultimately, while Gyokeres is not yet proven in the Premier League, he’s set to cost £80m less than Isak while having a far better injury record and significantly better goal involvement to game ratio.

Therefore, Arsenal should do all they can to sign the Sporting CP star this summer, as he’s the perfect answer to the Toon titan.