Mikel Arteta wants to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the upcoming window. Arteta has been one of the best manager since he took over the Arsenal job in 2019. He has turned the club into serious title contenders. The Gunners finished second in the table consecutively for the past two seasons. Arsenal were very close on winning the silverware last season as they spent 248 days at the top of the table. But Pep’s invincible army snatched away their title dream in the final match week.
Arsenal has some world class players in their club. They have immense talent in almost every positions. But the one area that has haunted Arteta the most is the number 9 spot. Arteta would really want Arsenal to invest on a striker in the near future, if they want to win trophies.
Striker crisis at Arsenal
Every top clubs around the world have a out and out striker. Man City have Erling Haaland , Liverpool have Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez , Man United have Rasmus Højlund and many more. You can expect 20 or more goals a season from these players. But Arsenal lack in that department.
Arsenal had a handful number of strikers in the past decade. The most notable names are- Aubameyang, Giroud, Lacazette and others. But none of the were able to follow the footsteps of Arsenal legends Dennis Bergkamp & Thierry Henry.
Gabriel Jesus who joined Arsenal in 2022 has failed to live upto his expectations. He missed most of the 2023-24 season due to a knee injury. So, Kai Havertz who joined last season was handed down the role of a striker in the absence of Gabriel. Though the German was bought from Chelsea as a replacement of Granit Xhaka, he did his job very well.
Havertz scored 14 goals and bagged 7 assists as a number 9. But Havertz cannot be a permanent solution for the Gunners as he is more of a link-up players who is good at almost every role. Havertz cannot guarantee Arsenal to score 20+ goals every season.
Arsenal to pursue Vlahovic?
Despite a decent season from Havertz as a number 9, Arteta is determined to sign a natural striker. And as per the reports of TBR Football, Dusan Vlahovic is the number one choice for the Gunners. On his break out season with Fiorentina in 2021, Vlahovic scored 21 Seria A goals in 37 games.
Since then Vlahovic was being targeted by top European clubs. Arsenal were one of them as they tried to sign the Serbian striker back in 2022 from the La Viola’s. But Juventus won the race to sign the 24-year-old as the replacement of Cristiano Ronaldo.
But Vlahovic has failed to deliver the numbers like Cristiano. He has scored 43 goals and registered 10 assists in 105 club appearances for Juve since joining them. But he has started the new season on a high note after scoring a brace against Verona.
Despite the previous failed attempts, Arsenal will still pursue Juve camp in the upcoming window as they are desperate for a prolific marksman like Vlahovic. As a January move has already been ruled out, the Gunners will revisit the camp next summer. Arsenal would have to introduce a bid of atleast £66 million to the Turin based club for Vlahovic. If the London based club manages to sign the Serbian for that amount then, it would make Vlahovic the third most expensive signing of their history.
Arsenal also have Gyökeres, Šeško and Watkins in their shortlist. Gyökeres is valued over £100m, so it would not be financially helpful for the Gunners. But if the Vlahovic deal fails, Arsenal can move their eyes for the other options.
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