While Arsenal enjoyed a brilliant summer on the pitch and have kickstarted their Premier League campaign with back-to-back wins this season, there remains some discontent among portions of the fanbase due to a lack of activity in the transfer market.
So far, the only new faces added to Mikel Arteta's first team have been Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, and Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino, which doesn't feel like enough in the face of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City juggernaut.
If you asked fans at the start of the summer about the one area they thought the team needed to strengthen, most would have answered striker. While the likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Leandro Trossard have started the season in good form, that need for an out-and-out goalscoring nine still feels acute.
Fortunately, recent reports have touted one of the best poachers around for a move to the Emirates before the window closes, and he'd surely supercharge Trossard.
Arsenal's striker search
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal have once again entered the race for £110m Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
The report claims that following 'perceived disrespect' during negotiations, the Saudi Pro League sides interested in signing the Nigerian international this summer have now walked away from any potential deal, and while Chelsea are still a possible destination, so are the Gunners.
Interestingly, the report has revealed that in the last few days, the North Londoners have once again 'asked for information' on the striker, suggesting that there is a chance Edu Gaspar could come in with a late bid to try and secure the player's services for a cut-price fee.
Whatever that final price ends up being, Osimhen would almost certainly be worth it, as he'd bring a mountain of goals with him to N5 and, in the process, help make Trossard even more unplayable.
Why Osimhen would make Trossard unplayable
So, to get straight to the point, there is one fundamental reason why Osimhen would help get even more out of Arsenal's incredible Belgian: his output.
The Nigerian "monster", as dubbed by analyst Raj Chohan, has proven over the last few seasons that when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, there are few better than him, and while Trossard was incredible at doing the same himself last season, he did see his assist tally fall to just two, which feels related to the fact that until Havertz moved up top, Arteta was struggling to find a consistent goalscorer who could play down the middle.
If we compare the former LOSC Lille star's tally over the last two full seasons to that of the Gunners' main striking options, Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, we can see just how much more of a goal threat he really is.
Appearances
39
47
33
Goals
31
9
11
Assists
5
1
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.92
0.21
0.54
Appearances
32
51
36
Goals
17
14
8
Assists
4
7
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.65
0.38
0.44
For example, across the 22/23 and 23/24 campaigns, the "world-class" marksman, as dubbed by José Mourinho, scored 48 goals and provided nine assists in just 71 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.24 games for two years, and he also led the Partenopei to their first league title in over three decades.
In contrast, Jesus scored 19 goals and provided 15 assists in 69 games, while the German scored 23 goals and provided eight assists in 98 appearances, meaning the two stars averaged a goal involvement once every 2.02 and 3.16 games, respectively.
Just imagine how much more effective the former Brighton & Hove Albion winger would be playing alongside such a clinical number nine; he'd probably still score plenty of goals himself, but he'd also see his assist tally explode, as he'd have someone there he could rely on to finish the chances he created.
Therefore, while the fee might still be significant and his £210k-per-week wages are a slight concern, Edu and Co should do what they can to bring Osimhen to the Emirates this summer.
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1 ByJack Salveson HolmesAug 27, 2024