Arsenal spent about 55 million pounds on Viktor Gyokeres last summer transfer window, and while it is hard to say that he met that price tag from Sporting CP in terms of pure performance on the pitch and certainly came nowhere near the 39 goals he scored in Liga Nos, he definitely was a success in the one most important way that the Gunners were looking at.
Because look, maybe it had more to do with the other players, but Arsenal did win the league with Gyokeres at striker. And they did not win the league without him before that, even though they had talented center forwards like Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
From an Arsenal perspective, the big change that Gyokeres brought was a profile in the box who could bring that level of threat and open up the field for the rest of the players, and with 14 goals last season, he was actually one of the best threats to find the back of the net in the Premier League.
This summer transfer window, Arsenal are after one more big fish at striker before the market closes in Julian Alvarez, a dream target of many other clubs in European football, most prominently Barcelona.
Alvarez is going to be very, very expensive, but Arsenal have money to burn after Vinicius Junior decided to stay with Real Madrid. And Alvarez is a great finisher who was prolific off the bench for Manchester City.
The big difference between Gyokeres and Alvarez is that the latter is more slick as a dribbler, can create his own shot, and is ten times the creator that the Swedish international is.
While Arsenal do want someone who can finish chances and be a better box presence than, say, Gabby Jesus was, they do want someone who can create more than Gyokeres, who only had one assist last season. Alvarez is like the best of both worlds, and if there is a striker worth spending big on, then it is the Atleti man.
Purveyor of footy since the 90s. Favor the Premier League and old school Serie A with a touch of Bundesliga. More than a touch. Professional writer for 20 years, covering every sport but now focused on the Premier League and world football. You won’t be able to guess my favorite team.