Despite beating Real Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday night, it was another game that highlighted why Arsenal need a striker in the summer.
Mikel Arteta’s men were sensational on the night, but prior to Declan Rice’s first free-kick, there were multiple opportunities that a seasoned poacher would have likely put away.
The clearest was when Bukayo Saka played an inch-perfect ball across the Spaniards’ penalty area, and nobody was there to poke it in the back of the net.
The club clearly think the same, as there has been a near-constant stream of stories touting some of the continent’s most exciting centre-forwards for a move to the Emirates this summer, with Viktor Gyokeres perhaps the most consistent in recent weeks, although if he does join the Gunners, he’ll have to hit the ground running to see his valuation surpass one of his competitors for game time.
The latest on Gyokeres to Arsenal
Arsenal’s interest in the Sporting CP star has been relatively long held at this point, with reports coming out about it last summer and then again in the winter window, but it certainly seems to have stepped up a gear in recent weeks.
For example, it was late last month when a story claimed that the Gunners were planning to hold talks with the Swedish poacher and that he could be allowed to leave Sporting for up to £58m.
Then, earlier this week, more reports emerged revealing that the North Londoners were now the frontrunners for the 26-year-old and prepared to offer him a five-year contract worth about £192k-per-week.
Now, this is certainly a lot of money to spend on a player from the Portuguese league, but based on his performances over the last couple of seasons, it could prove to be worth it and then some.
For example, since moving to Lisbon, the Stockholm-born monster has scored 87 goals and provided 26 assists in 94 appearances, which comes out to an average of 1.2 goal involvements per appearance.
Appearances
94
Starts
83
Minutes
7689′
Goals
87
Asssists
26
Points per Game
2.23
Goal Involvements per Match
1.2
Minutes per Goal Involvement
68.04′
However, even if the Gunners get their man, they already have a forward, signed by Arteta, in the side worth considerably more than him.
The Arsenal star worth millions more than Gyokeres
So, when we say Arsenal already have a forward signed by Arteta in the squad who is worth millions more than Gyokeres, that might not be an entirely accurate way of describing the situation, as Kai Havertz was initially signed as a midfielder.
Yes, the player in question is the ace who divides opinion perhaps more than anyone else in the Gunners’ squad, but he is still worth an enormous sum of money.
For example, the CIES Football Observatory prices the German international at €130.1m, which converts to about £112m or £54m more than Gyokeres could cost this summer.
Now, there will undoubtedly be many scoffing at such a valuation, and while it is on the high side, it reflects the fact that the former Chelsea star is an important part of Arteta’s squad.
For example, while his overall record of 29 goals and 12 assists in 85 appearances for the North Londoners is reasonably impressive, it becomes much more so when we look at just the games he’s played up top.
Appearances
85
47
Goals
29
19
Assists
12
12
Goal Involvements per Match
0.48
0.65
In those 47 games, totalling 3974 minutes, the “sensational” talent, as dubbed by Mikel Arteta, has scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists.
That means the 25-year-old has averaged a goal involvement every 1.51 games, or every 128.19 minutes when leading the line, which for a Premier League forward are not numbers to be sniffed at.
Ultimately, while Gyokeres would undoubtedly replace Havertz as Arsenal’s number nine were he to sign in the summer, the German would surely remain an important player in the squad, regardless of how some perceive him.
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