It doesn’t take a footballing genius to work out what Arsenal need this summer.
Mikel Arteta’s side failed to get over the line in the Premier League for the third time on the bounce this season, and while they sit just one place off Liverpool, they’ve scored 14 goals fewer.
Now, part of that is undoubtedly down to injuries, but it’s incredibly evident that the Gunners need a new striker once the transfer window opens, and the board seem to agree.
However, while Alexander Isak remains the dream signing for so many fans, his potentially £150m price tag makes the idea of him moving to the Emirates seem practically impossible.
Fortunately, recent reports have linked the North Londoners with someone who could be an ideal alternative.
Arsenal’s striker search
Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth reviewing a couple of the other striker targets linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, such as Viktor Gyokeres and Daizen Maeda.
The former could move to N5 for around £70m, and while that would make him one of the Gunners’ most expensive signings ever, he’d probably be worth it as, in just 48 games this season, he’s racked up 52 goals and 12 assists.
The latter could be available for just £25m, which might also prove to be an absolute steal, as in just 47 first-team appearances for Celtic this season, the Japanese international has scored 33 goals and provided 11 assists.
However, Arteta and Co might want someone with more experience of football in a top-five league, which could explain the links to Ollie Watkins.
Yes, according to a recent report from Football Insider, Arsenal are ‘planning to reignite their bid to sign’ the Aston Villa star.
The report has revealed that even though the Claret and Blue rejected a £50m offer from the Gunners in the January window, he’s back on the club’s shortlist ahead of the summer.
It’s unclear how much he’d cost, but with more time for Villa to find a replacement, it might not be far off Arsenal’s original offer, making him an incredibly appealing Isak alternative.
Why Watkins would be a great Isak alternative
Okay, so the first thing to say is that in an ideal world, Arsenal would just go out and sign Isak, but that feels incredibly unlikely to happen and points to the first significant advantage to signing Watkins over him: the price.
For example, if the reports are to be believed, then the Villa ace could cost as much as £100m less than the Swedish international, which in turn would allow the Gunners to splash the cash on several other first-team players, like Nico Williams, Martin Zubimendi and others.
Moreover, even though he’d cost a third as much as the Toon ace, it does not mean he’d be a third as good.
For example, in 50 appearances this season, totalling 3054 minutes, the Englishman, whom podcaster Rohan Jivan described as “one of the best centre-forwards in Europe,” has scored 16 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 111.75 minutes.
In contrast, the former Real Sociedad star has scored 26 goals and provided six assists in 39 appearances, totalling 3054 minutes, which comes out to a slightly better average of a goal involvement every 1.21 games, or every 95.43 minutes.
Finally, Arteta needs players he can rely on next season, and when it comes to fitness, the former Exeter City star is far more reliable than his potential competitor.
For example, he’s missed just three games for club and country across his entire career, whereas the Swede has already missed 67, and he’s only 25 years old.
With Isak unattainable this season, Arsenal would do well to sign Watkins as an alternative, as on top of costing up to £100m less, he’d be far more reliable.
