Arsenal look to have finally found their answer to the no.9 spot in north London as Edu Gaspar is “hot” on the trail of an exciting Serie A talent.
Gunners need a prolific number nine
Mikel Arteta’s side have had a striker problem this season despite their impressive form. Arsenal legend Ian Wright has been left crying out for a “killer” striker to lead the line, even though they have since scored 31 times in seven Premier League games and turned their season’s fortunes on their head.
Eddie Nketiah has not been fully trusted in Gabriel Jesus’ absence through injury, and both Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz have been deployed at centre-forward at times this campaign. Despite their relative success, the Gunners are still expected to spend big on a striker this summer should the opportunity arise.
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The Gunners’ squad could look very different next season.
So far, they have been strongly linked with the likes of Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Sporting CP striker Victor Gyokores, as well as RB Leipzig marksman Benjamin Sesko and Brighton’s latest young star Evan Ferguson. Now, however, a new name has been thrown into the mix as a serious option.
Edu hot on the trail of Haaland-esque talent
According to a report coming out of Italy, the Gunners are seriously chasing Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee after an impressive season in Serie A. As per Calcio Mercato, several Premier League clubs are interested in the Dutchman but it is Arsenal that are a “very hot” option as Edu looks to bolster the frontline.
The 6 foot 3 striker has shot to prominence this season in Serie A, grabbing ten goals and four assists in his 26 Italian top-flight appearances to date. His form is set to be rewarded with a call-up to the Dutch national team for the upcoming March internationals, where he could make his debut against either Scotland or Germany, and the attacker is making a late run for the EURO2024 squad.
He is also overperforming his expected goals for the campaign, suggesting that he is able to find the back of the net from positions that others (looking at you, Gabriel Jesus) may not be able to.
Arsenal strikers and rumoured targets | |||
Goals | xG | Difference | |
Joshua Zirkzee | 10 | 8.1 | +1.9 |
Eddie Nketiah | 5 | 4.4 | +0.6 |
Kai Havertz | 7 | 7.3 | -0.3 |
Gabriel Jesus | 4 | 5.4 | -1.4 |
Ivan Toney | 4 | 3.1 | +0.9 |
Benjamin Sesko | 7 | 4.3 | +2.7 |
Victor Gyokores | 18 | 11.8 | +6.2 |
Zirkzee has long been touted as a future star, and was part of Bayern Munich’s youth setup until 2022, when he completed his move to Bologna. There are clearly high hopes for him in the Netherlands, and Voetbal International reporter Souleyman Ozturk has even audaciously claimed that he is a better version of Manchester City star Erling Haaland.
“Zirkzee is better than Erling Haaland at everything. Now you may be dismayed because of this statement. But I will frame it. (Zirkzee) has vision, technique, strength, charisma, flair, footballing ability. He is therefore better than Haaland in almost everything”, he told the media in 2022.
“Imagine if Zirkzee had the energy and focus of Haaland. Then he would be the best striker in the world.”
In 2019, Bayern academy boss Jochen Sauer added that “he is a striker type that is no longer so common today: tall, athletic, but still technically strong”. Still only 22-years-old, there is plenty of scope for Zirkzee to improve further in the years to come, and with the striker potentially a cheaper alternative to the likes of Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney, it may well be a deal worth doing for the Gunners.
