One of the largest regions in Arsenal A team suffering from a frustrating lack of depth at the heart of the attack. The Gunners have two main options they can rely on, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz. However, there are arguments that neither is clinical enough to lead his line Six and 12 goals each respectively this season.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, now an analyst, He proposed it back in November. He explained that there is “an argument that you need a goalscorer, a natural striker” to complement the existing options.
The Gunners have already been linked with one player who could be the answer to their problems.
Arsenal are targeting a new striker
The player in question here is the Nigerian international striker Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old has excelled again this season and is currently on loan to Turkish club Galatasaray, from parent team Napoli.
According to a report by Football InsiderArsenal are believed to be 'monitoring' the striker ahead of a potential move to the box office in January. They are likely to face competition for Osimhen, with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea believed to be interested.
According to Spanish reports on Football365the £159,000 per week The Nigerian striker has a release clause in his contract which is believed to be worth around £63m. If that comes into play, Galatasaray will leave midway through the season.
Why Osimhen would be a good signing
If the Gunners bring the striker to the club in January, they would almost certainly see the purchase of a man capable of finding the back of the net. The Nigerian excelled in the 2024/25 season with 12 goals In 15 matches In all competitions, in addition to five assists.
The 25-year-old has also been impressive for Napoli in previous seasons. In 133 matches For the Serie A giants, he scored an impressive 76 goals.
His best season in terms of goalscoring was in the 2022/23 season when the Italian lifted the Italian league. The Nigerian scored 31 goals in 39 matches to help his team win a famous title.
In fact, signing Osimhen could be an upgrade for Havertz at centre-forward. This is not because the German is a bad player, but he is not necessarily a natural striker.
Mikel Arteta He made something like this clear last season when the former Chelsea player signed, saying that “He will be used in different positions” in a Gunners shirt.
He did not perform badly in front of goal last season. The 25-year-old scored 13 goals and provided seven assists In 37 matches On the top flight.
That's certainly not a bad record, but given that he was leading the line for Arsenal, it left a lot to be desired.
In fact, the gap between Arsenal's No29 and the on-loan Napoli striker is clearly visible. This applies to both goal numbers and statistical comparison when looking at Havertz's Premier League stats from last season and Osimhen's stats from the 2022/23 Serie A season.
According to Squakathe 25-year-old striker averaged 0.9 goals without penalties per match. More importantly, he also scored one goal inside the box every 90 minutes, which is exactly what Arsenal were missing. In comparison, the German striker averaged 0.5 non-penalty goals and 0.5 goals from inside the penalty area per match.
|
Osimhen and Havertz match goal statistics |
||
|---|---|---|
|
State (per 90) |
Osimhen (2022/23) |
Havertz (2023/24) |
|
Shots on goal |
2 |
1 |
|
Objectives |
1 |
0.5 |
|
Goals other than penalty kicks |
0.9 |
0.5 |
|
Goals inside the penalty area |
1 |
0.5 |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
54.55% |
50% |
|
Statistics from Skooka |
||
The difference between the two is clear, and while Havertz is a good footballer, he is not necessarily a number nine. However, Osimhen is a fantastic goalscorer, especially in the box, and could be the man the Gunners have been missing.
Agent Andrea D'Amico once described The 25-year-old has been described as the 'best striker in the world', comparing him to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. He even described him as “even better than Haaland”, which is high praise for Osimhen.
While £63m is a lot of money in the January window, it could be a smart investment for Arsenal. They will bring in a striker who knows where the net is and can be a player to motivate them as they look to push Liverpool to the top of the Premier League.
