Arsenal’s season now rests on 90 minutes in Paris next week.
Mikel Arteta’s side have failed to win the Premier League for a third campaign on the bounce, but as things stand, they still have a genuine chance of overturning Paris Saint-Germain’s one-nil lead at the Parc des Princes and making it to their first Champions League final in 19 years.
However, to do that, they’ll have to play substantially better than they did on Tuesday night, and more specifically, club captain Martin Odegaard will have to step up in a big way following his dismal showing at home.
Appearances
40
Minutes
3072′
Goals
5
Assists
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.37
Minutes per Goal Involvement
204.8′
With just 15 goal improvements in 40 appearances, the Norwegian international has been a massive disappointment this season, so it’s excellent news that recent reports have linked the club with a striker who should be able to revive his fortunes next year.
Arsenal's striker search
Ask any Arsenal fan what they desperately need in the summer, and we’d hazard a guess that almost all of them will say a striker. After all, despite being just one place ahead of them in the Premier League, Liverpool have scored 17 more goals this season.
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Fortunately, the board clearly agrees with this sentiment, as there have been a whole host of centre-forwards touted for moves to the Emirates in recent weeks, one of the more recent being Jonathan David.
Thanks to his contract expiring at the end of next month, the Canadian international will be available for nothing in the summer, and as he’s already scored 25 goals and provided 11 assists in 46 games this year, he’d undoubtedly be an incredible addition to Arteta’s squad.
A little closer to home, the Gunners have once again been linked with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins in recent weeks.
The Englishman was the subject of a failed £45m bid from the North Londoners in the winter window, and while it’s unclear just how much he’d cost in the summer, it’s clear that with 29 goal involvements in 50 games this season, he’d be a brilliant signing.
However, to really propel the club to the title next year and get the likes of Odegaard firing again, Arteta and Co need to sign a goalscoring machine, which is where Viktor Gyokeres comes in.
According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal remain incredibly keen on bringing the Swedish international to N5 this summer.
A potential price tag is not mentioned in the story, but other reports from this week claim that the striker could be available for up to £70m.
It’s certainly a lot to spend on one player, but given his immense ability and the effect he could have on the likes of Odegaard, it’s a transfer worth doing for Arsenal.
How Gyokeres would revive Odegaard
While there might be several small reasons here and there why Gyokeres would be able to get more out of Odegaard, like his application in training sessions and his attitude during games, his raw output is what matters more than anything.
After all, it doesn’t matter how hard he works if he can’t finish the chances the Norwegian creates for him.
Fortunately, when it comes to being a pure out-and-out goalscorer, it’s hard to think of anyone better than the former Coventry City star in Europe at the moment.
Appearances
48
Minutes
3858′
Goals
52
Assists
12
Goal Involvements per Match
1.33
Minutes per Goal Involvement
60.28′
For example, in 48 appearances for Sporting CP, totalling 3858 minutes, the 6 foot 2 “powerhouse,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored a simply staggering 52 goals and provided 12 assists for good measure.
In other words, the 26-capped monster is currently averaging 1.33 goal involvements every game, or one every 60.28 minutes, which is undoubtedly a world-class rate of return.
Just imagine a striker as unrelentingly efficient as that in front of the Gunners’ captain – he’d almost instantly see his assist tally skyrocket.
Moreover, if opposition defenders had to spend more time worrying about the North Londoners’ new monstrous forward as well as Bukayo Saka off the right, there would be more room for the former Real Madrid prospect to operate in, and as a result, his own goal tally would likely increase as well.
Ultimately, while it’s a lot of money, Arsenal should be doing all they can to bring Gyokeres to the Emirates this summer, as not only could he fire them to the title next year, but he could be just the man to get Odegaard back to his mercurial best as well.
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