“I have been thinking on how to stop him next season but it’s likely impossible because of the qualities he possessed, I personally think Arsenal will win the Premier League next season because of him”: Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk names ONE Arsenal’s new signing who’s giving him sleepless nights since he joined the Gunners

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Arsenal know that they will sign Viktor Gyokeres this summer and he will lead the line for Mikel Arteta next season and beyond. A total agreement with Sporting Lisbon has been reached.

Gyokeres might be 27, and thus is not someone who will be starring at number nine for the Emirates side in ten years, but he’s complete and accomplished, in the prime of his career and ready to tackle a top division such as the Premier League.

He did, after all, score 97 goals and supply 28 assists across 102 matches, winning the Liga Portugal in each of his two terms in the Iberian country.

However, Gyokeres might need some support as he enters the Emirates fray. Indeed, Arteta plans to pair him up with a playmaker.

Arsenal targeting a creative midfielder
Martin Odegaard left plenty to be desired last season, but he’s still Arsenal’s captain and one of the best midfielders in the world besides.

However, Arteta seeks a new playmaker who can drift between central and wide attacking berths. Someone like Chelsea’s Cole Palmer would be great.

There have been rumours that RB Leipzig talent Xavi Simons, 22, would be the man for the job, but Arsenal have fallen behind Chelsea in the race for the diminutive Dutchman.

This might feel like a blow, but when you consider the reason why the north Londoners have taken a step back, it becomes quite a bit less crippling.

Indeed, Arsenal are targeting one of the Premier League’s finest stars.

Arsenal in talks to sign PL star

According to GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are currently holding internal talks as they weigh up a formal offer for Eberechi Eze, who scored the winning goal as Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final.

Eze, 27, has a £60m release clause and has also been targeted by teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, but it is the Gunners who are leading the race as technical director Andrea Berta looks to seal a summer spending spree.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed earlier this week that Arsenal have held discussions with Eze’s camp as they look to put the pieces together.

Why Arsenal must sign Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace signed Eze from Queens Park Rangers in the Championship for a £20m fee. It was 2020, and he was regarded as one of England’s brightest up-and-coming talents.

Five years on, Eze has immortalised himself as a Palace great, and now wants to make a big move to one of the finest teams on the continent while in the prime of his career.

The England international has been described as a “superstar” by analyst Ben Mattinson, and his vicious blend of powerful athleticism, fleet-footedness and always-improving potency in the final third makes him the perfect fit for Arteta’s project, having proven himself positionally versatile too.

As per FBref, the £100k-per-week star’s efforts last term left him ranked among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for shots taken, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for successful take-ons and the top 14% for ball recoveries per 90.

This complete sweep of attributes led the data-driven site to draw his countryman Palmer as one of his most statistically similar players, with the 22-year-old hailed as “the best player in the Premier League” by Jamie Carragher at the start of the 2024/25 season.

Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in a deal worth £42m in September 2023, and he has since become the face of English football, with his extraordinary debut campaign yielding 25 goals and 15 assists across 45 matches in all competitions for the Blues.

Though Eze is not quite so clinical as his world-class positional peer, he is a unique and tricky opponent, so skilful and dynamic in his movements.

As per Sofascore, the Palace talent actually finished the recent league season having averaged two dribbles, 1.7 key passes and 4.6 ground duels (of which he won a respectable 53%) per game, further highlighting his roundedness.

And, of course, it’s not as if Eze isn’t clinical in his own right, having raised his game in that regard under Oliver Glasner’s wing, posting 34 direct goal involvements across 54 games since the Austrian manager arrived in the English capital.

Now, just imagine the improvements that could be made in Arteta’s system. The Spaniard is renowned as one of the best tacticians in football, with new Gunners recruit Martin Zubimendi even hailing him as “one of the best coaches in Europe”.

Given that Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli may both be sold this summer, Eze would be a fantastic addition – perhaps even a necessary addition – with his high-speed dribbling perfect for the left flank, should he not be deployed centrally to take on defenders, create space and spark playmaking for his side.

Dubbed a “magician” of a midfielder by pundit Micah Richards in the past, signing Eze really is a no-brainer. While he may not be Chelsea’s Palmer, he does possess a certain tactical likeness that has already worked so well at Stamford Bridge, and would be sure to elevate Arteta’s project as trophies are targeted across various competitions next year.