Ask Mikel Arteta who he’d most like to bring to Arsenal in the summer and it’s likely he’d suggest Alexander Isak.
The Gunners need to sign a forward and in the Newcastle striker, they’d be acquiring one of the game’s elite.
He has been devastating for the Toon this campaign, notably scoring 23 goals in 33 games at club level on his way to winning the Carabao Cup.
But, the big question on everyone’s lips is, will he move? The Swede certainly isn’t short of suitors, with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea also allegedly interested.
Yet, prising him away from St James’ Park will prove difficult, not least because he’s Newcastle’s most important player but also because they’ve reportedly slapped a £150m asking price on his head.
That makes a deal extremely unlikely, so who and where could Arsenal turn to next?
Well, according to David Ornstein on Sunday, Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres is someone they have ‘strong interest’ in. However, we’ve come up with three alternatives, which include a mixture of internal and external solutions.
1 The big-money signing Benjamin Sesko
If Arsenal are fruitless in their efforts to bring Isak or Gyokeres to the Emirates Stadium then it’s likely they’ll go back in for Slovenian powerhouse Benjamin Sesko.
Arteta’s side were linked with a move for the RB Leipzig forward last summer but he decided to stay put in Germany, signing a new contract in the process.
Another year of development in the Bundesliga has proven to be exactly the right decision for the 21-year-old, finding the net on 17 occasions in 36 outings. It’s not a jaw-dropping total but given his age it’s a promising tally.
Sesko would give Arsenal a particularly unique profile. Hailed by scout Jacek Kulig as “the new Erling Haaland”, the young striker has a tall frame, standing at 6 foot 5, but he’s also quick and capable of running in behind.
That’s an attribute the central striker at Arsenal hasn’t had for a long time.
Goals
0.83
0.48
Assists
0.22
0.24
Progressive carries
2.81
1.68
Progressive passes
2.68
1.78
Key passes
1.54
0.72
Pass completion %
74%
67%
Shot-creating actions
3.29
1.83
Aerials won
0.83
2.69
Aerials won %
32%
58%
Supporters at the Emirates will be hoping and dreaming that a shiny new forward arrives in the summer but if they don’t, there are some internal solutions.
2 The change in position Gabriel Martinelli
Arteta has been no stranger to trying something new in attack with Kai Havertz initially signed as a midfielder before becoming the focal point of the attack.
With the German out injured, it’s been down to Mikel Merino to fill the void. It’s a position he’d never played in until that 2-0 win over Leicester in February, where the Spaniard came from the bench to score both goals.
Merino has scored two more since then but he’s simply not the long-term answer.
Perhaps the final few weeks of the season will give Arteta the license to field Gabriel Martinelli in that role instead.
The Brazilian is a winger by trade but has actually played as a striker on 16 occasions in his career, scoring nine goals. He most notably starred in that role during the 2019/20 season where Unai Emery was keen to select him in a central position.
His first start for the north Londoners actually came as a striker in a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest where he scored twice. For those who doubt whether he’d be able to handle the physicality, a leaner and much younger Martinelli scored via his head in that game.
He won’t possess the same ability to hold the ball up as Havertz does but he’d certainly be more productive in behind, with talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor previously outlining what would make him such an eye-catching candidate for the role of a centre forward.
“He [Martinelli] looks like that sort of number nine who will drift out wide from the centre and make runs behind defenders and be a menace. He can finish too. I think he’s got everything to be a number nine. Martinelli can be like Henry and Henry did it all. I don’t see why Martinelli can’t start in the centre and drift out wide. He’s got it all as a centre-forward.”
Well, if that prophecy comes true, it may just save the club millions on someone like Isak or Sesko.
If Arteta doesn’t fancy the £46m-rated attacker then he could always turn towards Hale End.
3 The Hale End solution Ethan Nwaneri
Another option for Arteta next season could be to utilise man of the moment, Ethan Nwaneri, in a more central role.
The manager has been careful with the teenager’s development this season but it’s been hard to keep him out of the limelight.
Handed his first-team debut as a 15-year-old, making him the youngest player in Premier League history, he’s certainly lived up to the hype. Now 18 years of age, the attacker is a regular part of the match day squad and has found himself to be a consistent starter amid Bukayo Saka’s lengthy hamstring injury.
In the process, Nwaneri has scored eight times this season, including twice in the Champions League and has proven himself to be a menace on the flanks.
That said, the teenager’s most natural position is in the middle. He’s an attacking midfielder by trade but has actually played as a centre-forward on eight occasions for Arsenal U18s.
In doing so, the wonderkid has scored ten times, notably bagging five goals in one game versus Crewe in the FA Youth Cup in 2023. He’s also featured as a striker for England’s youth sides five times, scoring five goals and registering two assists.
Since then, Nwaneri has certainly come on leaps and bounds and could play in a multitude of different positions for Arteta if he so wishes.
In the words of data analyst Ben Mattinson, the youngster’s “finishing is quality” and he is a “true goal-scorer”. That certainly sounds like a lovely recipe for success right there.
vs Reading 2021
1
0
vs Spurs 2022
1
1
vs Norwich 2022
1
1
vs Spurs 2023
0
0
vs Villa 2023
2
0
vs Man City 2023
0
0
vs West Ham 2023
0
0
vs Crewe 2023
5
0
Isak will certainly be the number one pick for Arsenal but there is evidence here that incoming sporting director Andrea Berta need not panic if a move can’t be done.
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