Arsenal must step up their efforts to reinforce their attack this January in a bid to help Mikel Arteta guide the club to its first Premier League trophy in 18 years.
The Gunners showed how much they have progressed since last season with a 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a strike from substitute Gabriel Martinelli albeit a huge deflection off Nathan Ake. Despite showing they have gone up a level after last campaign’s heartbreak, there is a glaring hole in the team that needs addressing.
There is a huge belief that the Arsenal squad is only missing an elite goalscorer and once that arrives the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle will be in place for them to end their league title drought. That is reinforced by the fact that Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz have all taken up the striker role this season but have only managed four goals between them.
Mikel Arteta must take Arsenal’s goal deficiency very seriously and persuade the board to splash the cash for a top striker in January. With that being said, here are three strikers the Gunners must target to be their main man in attack.
#Ivan Toney
Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who is currently preparing to return from an eight-month betting ban and has been playing in behind-closed-doors matches, is strongly linked to Arsenal. The 27-year-old is the player who ticks the most boxes for Arsenal—homegrown, Premier League-proven and entering the peak years of his career.
In recent years, Arteta has focused on buying Premier League proven players, with Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Declan Rice all proving successful signings, and Toney’s lack of adaptation time makes him an exciting prospect. Brentford are set to demand £60m to part ways with the England international, who has registered 68 goals and 21 assists across 124 games for the club.
#Evan Ferguson
Evan Ferguson has established himself as an elite talent since his breakout campaign with Brighton, and it’s not surprising that he now looks like he could be the next Seagulls star to be raided by a bigger club. The teenager has started the new season strongly with four goals in eight league appearances for Brighton.
At 6ft 2ins tall, Ferguson would give Arsenal a different dimension to attack in each game, and his technical ability to link play and bring others into play could unleash the pace of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in behind. He would solve the Gunners’ need for a more out-and-out number nine whilst being an instant upgrade on Nketiah.
But the Gunners would need to break the bank to persuade Brighton into selling one of their prized assets in the midst of the season. So, this deal to happen in January appears a lot tricky.
#Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen scored 26 goals in 32 league appearances last season, firing Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990. He has started this campaign in a similar fashion, too, netting six in eight games so far.
However, Osimhen’s future at Napoli has been plunged into doubt after a social media clip released by the club appeared to mock the striker. This has created within his camp and the Nigerian now seems reluctant to sign a new contract with the Naples-based outfit, which Arsenal could take advantage of.
Osimhen is a top striker and would undoubtedly improve the potency of Arsenal’s attack. Despite his aerial dominance, the 24-year-old has a great touch and the composure to pick a pass, and he also often gets himself in scoring positions, which you would expect would lead to more goals in a highly creative Gunners’ team. He has the qualities to hit the ground running in the Premier League and help Arsenal taste Premier League success if a deal transpires in January.
