There is a lot for Arsenal to do this summer.
For the third time in a row, Mikel Arteta’s side ended this season as Premier League runners-up, and as things stand, their rivals for next year are making some impressive moves in the transfer market.
However, while the Gunners are yet to announce a signing, that doesn’t mean they aren’t working towards a few, with Martin Zubimendi’s move to the club now looking like a matter of when and not if.
The Spanish international could be a needle mover for the North Londoners, but if recent reports are to be believed, the club are now looking to advance towards another international who could be utterly game-changing.
Arsenal plot move for international superstar
It would be fair to say that the journey to sign Zubimendi has been a long and somewhat stressful one for Arsenal – one that is still not quite complete.
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The first serious reports that the club were making serious progress in securing his services came out in January, courtesy of Sami Mokbel, but in the months that followed, there have been more than a few stories from Spain suggesting that Real Madrid was going to hijack the move.
Fortunately, reports in the last few days, notably from Fabrizio Romano, have revealed that the paperwork is now done and that fans can expect an official announcement soon.
However, while the Real Sociedad will surely help improve the balance of the North Londoners’ midfield, the club now appear to be moving towards an even better signing: Viktor Gyokeres.
At least that’s according to a recent report from Portuguese outlet A Bola, which claims that Arsenal have reignited their intense interest in the Sporting CP star.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners are planning to make another offer for the free-scoring forward, which, according to other stories from earlier this week, could be up to 80m, which comes out to around £68m.
Furthermore, according to a recent update from Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, the North Londoners “will sign” the former Coventry man this summer, as he “was their first target from the start.”
It would undoubtedly represent a mammoth investment from Arsenal, but given Gyokeres’ out-of-this-world ability in front of goal, it would be worth it, and he would be a better signing than Zubimendi.
Why Gyokeres would be a better signing than Zubimendi
Firstly, as we’ve already mentioned, fans should be excited about the seemingly imminent arrival of Zubimendi this summer, as the Sociedad star has proven himself to be a defensively solid and inventive creative six at both club and international level over the last couple of years.
However, if we are talking about who could have the more significant and immediate impact on Arsenal’s title chances in the Premier League and Champions League next season and, therefore, be the better signing this summer, we think it’s impossible to look past Gyokeres.
We say this for one massive and simply impossible to ignore reason: his output.
Since moving to Sporting in the summer of 2023, the Stockholm-born phenomenon has been a seemingly unstoppable goalscoring “powerhouse,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson.
For example, in his first campaign with the Lisbon outfit, he racked up a ridiculous tally of 43 goals and 15 assists in 50 appearances, totalling 4169 minutes.
Appearances
50
52
Minutes
4169′
4248′
Goals
43
54
Assists
15
13
Goal Involvements per Match
1.16
1.28
Minutes per Goal Involvement
71.87′
63.40′
This means the former Coventry City star maintained an average of 1.16 goal involvements every game or one every 71.87 minutes, and somehow, he did even better this season.
In 52 appearances, totalling 4248 minutes, the goalscoring “monster,” as dubbed by one analyst, found the back of the net on 54 occasions and provided 13 assists for good measure, which comes out to an average of 1.28 goal involvements per game, or one every 63.40 minutes.
Just imagine a centre-forward as outrageously clinical as the 27-year-old leading the line for the Gunners, with Bukayo Saka to his right, Martin Odegaard behind him and potentially a new winger to the left.
Even if he was only able to replicate a third of his output in North London, the Swede could be the difference between a fourth runners-up finish on the spin or finally getting over the line.
Therefore, while Zubimenidi will be a great signing, Gyokeres has the potential to be far better for Arsenal.
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