Arsenal target “incredible” £38k-p/w goal machine who’s better than Osimhen

It’s hard to think of a more important season for Arsenal in recent years than the one set to start in three weeks, as Mikel Arteta’s men look to finally dethrone Manchester City from the top of the Premier League.

The North Londoners have developed into one of the best teams in Europe over the last few years, but to truly solidify their incredible ascent, they must end their two-decade title drought, and to do that, Edu Gaspar and Co need to recruit the right players over the coming months.

Riccardo Calafiori’s long-awaited signing was finally confirmed yesterday, but the area most fans want to see strengthened is striker, and based on recent reports, they may soon get their wish.

For example, Victor Osimhen has once again been touted for a move to the Emirates following the breakdown in his move to Paris Saint-Germain, but another centre-forward has also been linked with the club, who would not only cost less but would also be a better signing.

Arsenal’s striker search

According to a recent report from the Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal have firmly reignited their interest in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres .

The report has claimed that while the Gunners have inquired about Osimhen’s current situation, they are ‘very focused on chasing the Swede from Sporting Lisbon’.

No price is mentioned in the story, but it has been widely reported that he has a €100m release clause in his £38k-per-week contract, which converts to about £84m. However, according to Fabrizio Romano via TEAMtalk, the Gunners would likely make an opening offer of around £60m.

Signing Gyökeres will cost Arsenal a lot of money this summer regardless of whether they pay the full release clause, but he will cost less than the £109m Osimhen is said to cost and, given his performances last season, would likely be a better signing anyway.

Why Gyökeres would be a better signing than Osimhen

Okay, aside from the price – which is a significant factor – there are a few reasons why Gyökeres would be a better signing than Osimhen for Arsenal, and the first is that he is in red-hot form.

For example, in 50 appearances last season, the “incredible” Swede, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored a whopping 43 goals and provided 15 assists for good measure, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 0.86 games.

In contrast, the Napoli ace scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 32 appearances, and while that is still impressive, it resulted in a worse average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games.

The second reason is similar to the first, but instead of looking at their raw output, we’ll look at their underlying numbers, where the Sporting “powerhouse”, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, once again comes out on top.

For example, while the Nigerian international takes more shots, the former Coventry City ace comes out ahead in every other relevant metric, and by quite some way in a few, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons and even aerial duels won, all per 90.

Finally, the last reason the Stockholm-born marksman would be the better signing is his availability. While he just underwent minor knee surgery, he has never missed a senior game through injury, whereas the former LOSC Lille star has missed a whopping 86 games across his career, and as they say, availability is the best ability.

Ultimately, while Osimhen might be the more recognisable name at the moment, Gyökeres has him comfortably beaten for output, underlying numbers, and availability, and while he does play in an easier league, that can’t explain the extent to which he beats out the Napoli ace.

Therefore, Edu and Co should do what they can to bring the Swedish international to the Emirates this summer, as with him up top, Arsenal might finally end their two-decade title drought.