Are Arsenal‘s striker ranks a problem or a blessing? There are two sides of the coin here, truth be told.
While Viktor Gyokeres has looked like something of a misfit since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, he is the club’s top scorer with 11 goals this term and is on course to hit 20 goals for the campaign.
For reference, no player has done that under Mikel Arteta since the days of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Whatever you think about the Swede, he hasn’t been the disastrous addition that many make him out to be.
Combine his talents with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz and you have three centre-forwards all with different qualities and all, crucially, scoring goals.
Indeed, while they aren’t truly prolific, they have popped up at vital moments this term, with Jesus scoring twice inside the San Siro in the Champions League and Havertz scoring that late winner against Chelsea a few days ago.
|
Arsenal’s strikers in 2026 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Games |
Goals |
|
Gyokeres |
9 |
4 |
|
Havertz |
5 |
2 |
|
Jesus |
9 |
3 |
That being said, the jury is still out on Gyokeres and it would be a surprise if Jesus is still in London next season.
As a result, eyes have been cast in the direction of Julian Alvarez and some of Europe’s other top forwards.
Why Julian Alvarez would be an exceptional signing for Arsenal
Gyokeres may well be on course to end the campaign as the Gunners’ top goalscorer but he’s left a lot to be desired with some of his performances.
Many games pass him by where he fails to link many passes or have many touches, and that was evident against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night. The former Sporting man was an anonymous and isolated figure up top, although not for the first time. He had just ten touches of the ball and completed a single pass on the night. He did, however, score against Leeds United last weekend.
Alvarez, therefore, surely represents an upgrade. Valued at £80m, reports in recent weeks suggest that they are gearing up to make a move for the Argentine in the summer and have allegedly already held talks.
Combining the best qualities of both Jesus and Havertz, he’d be a marvellous capture. Like the German, he drops deep to link the play, effectively known as something of a Raumdeuter.
A Raumdeuter (German for “space interpreter” or “space investigator”) is a role on the pitch that relies on a player finding and exploiting empty space in the final third, positioning themselves to receive the ball or finish chances without being directly marked.
However, like Jesus, he’s got wonderful technical ability and can burst past a player, using his close control around the penalty box to work opportunities to score from.
Crucially, he scores goals. He has been magnificent for Atletico Madrid since trading Manchester for the Spanish capital, firing home 40 goals in 88 games.
In the words of journalist Roy Nemer, he was the “best forward in the world” last season and it’s hard to dispute that given his all-round set of attributes.
That said, while Alvarez would be a sensational signing, perhaps there’s a better player out there more worthy of paying a big fee for.
Former Arsenal star is now a bigger talent than Julian Alvarez
Alvarez enjoyed a brilliant spell at Manchester City, netting 36 goals in 103 matches, also supplying 19 assists. While Pep Guardiola deemed him expendable due to Erling Haaland’s remarkable record, there is no doubting just how good the Argentine is.
Arsenal have already got their own Alvarez, he’s a “Bergkamp kind of player”
Arsenal are interested in signing Julian Alvarez this summer.
Yet, is he better than a certain Michael Olise? Arguably not. Loose reports towards the back end of last year suggested that the Gunners were interested in prising the Frenchman away from Bayern Munich and who can blame them?
Since trading Crystal Palace for Germany, he has become one of the best wingers in world football, even surpassing the exploits of Alvarez.
Why? Well, the 24-year-old has registered some truly jaw-dropping numbers in Munich this term under Vincent Kompany’s wing. Having made 32 appearances, Olise has registered a whopping 23 assists, 17 of which have come in 20 Bundesliga outings. On top of that, he has beaten the goalkeeper on 13 occasions. He’s a truly elite footballer.
That said, it may be something of a surprise to learn that he was previously in the Arsenal academy. Yes, Olise left the club around 15 years ago, having initially been part of the youth setup at the Emirates.
So, who’s to blame for losing him? Well, it was actually the forward and his family’s decision to go elsewhere, subsequently moving to Chelsea where he spent most of his formative years, before having a spell at Manchester City.
Speaking on his days as a youth player, former Chelsea coach Sean Conlon, who spotted a seven-year-old Olise playing for Hayes, stated: “Michael was training with Arsenal at the time because before you move into the U9s, you’re allowed to train with multiple teams. But he probably lived closer to Chelsea and they obviously have a great academy so he ended up signing for them.”
While Olise never made a first-team appearance for Chelsea or City, he eventually made his name at Reading in the EFL before really becoming a household name at Crystal Palace.
A pure joy to watch in the Premier League, he moved to Bayern in the summer of 2024 to the tune of £50.8m. Now, according to reports, he has been valued at a seismic £123m, over £40m more than the £80m fee Alvarez has been touted to move for in the summer.
It’s safe to say that Arsenal will undoubtedly have some regret that they were not able to entice the winger to stay when he was a boy.
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