Arsenal haven’t had the rip-roaring start to the summer transfer window that their fans perhaps wanted, but the cogs are starting to churn as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta plan to make improvements.
Across the past three Premier League seasons, the Gunners have finished second each time. Some might ridicule Arteta for failing to reach that final level, but were Arsenal not toiling in the pits before they arrived? And have they not rediscovered themselves as a European superpower?
We’re just lacking that special… something. The Emirates side have endured their share of frustration through recent transfer windows, and another disappointing finish this summer could derail a lot of progress.
Time was, Arsenal were defined by their incredible focal frontmen, but that now needs to change. It’s often futile to pinpoint exactitudes in regard to a club’s transfer strategy, but it’s clear that Arsenal’s problems could be halved through the signing of a new centre-forward.
The latest on Arsenal's striker search
Arsenal are planning to sign a new striker this summer. It’s their principal priority. There’s just cause for excitement in regard to Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, but such bids won’t be in lieu of a new number nine.
But we can’t deny that it’s taking its time. The summer saga has centred on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres, who is expected to leave Sporting Lisbon but has been left dismayed by his outfit’s stance on his leaving fee.
BBC Sport understand Arsenal have yet to find a breakthrough with Sesko or Leipzig, while the 27-year-old Gyokeres might indeed prove too expensive.
Advancements with either forward may well occur in the coming weeks, but the Gunners may well turn to an alternative option ahead of the beginning of pre-season.
He’s come close to north London before.
Arsenal open talks for new striker
According to GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal have joined Manchester United in the race for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, with both clubs making contact with their Premier League counterpart.
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Arsenal saw a £40m offer rejected for the England international back in January, but could now return as they look to seal a new striker sooner rather than later.
It’s thought that the Villans value the 29-year-old at £60m, a figure that the north Londoners were unwilling to pay earlier in the year.
If the package can be reduced, there’s every chance a figure could be tabled.
Why Arsenal want Ollie Watkins
The issue with both Sesko and Gyokeres is that neither boasts experience in the Premier League – and that’s an important part of determining who’s the right pick.
In Watkins, Arsenal would sign a player who is proven at the very highest level, having scored 75 goals and provided 36 assists across 184 Premier League matches, who bears the stylistic qualities befitting a Gunners talisman – indeed, skills found in the game of both Sesko and Gyokeres.
But the same could be said for a former star in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who signed for Arsenal in January 2018 for £60m – level with Villa’s asking price for Watkins – and went on to score 92 goals and provide 21 assists across 163 appearances, a remarkable run of prolific performances that led to triumph in the FA Cup too.
In his pomp, the Gabonese icon was electric, intelligent and as clinical as you like. The right-footer also found success when peeling off the left, which is a role Watkins has played many a time for Unai Emery’s side.
The Three Lions star might be a goalscorer first and foremost, but he’s also a well-rounded forward, having ranked among the top 3% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues in 2024/25 for assists and the top 19% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
Moreover, he’s something of a veteran at 29, which is similarly the case with Aubameyang, who joined the Premier League aged 28 and hit the ground running, calling upon all his experience and athleticism to post ten goals and four assists over his opening 13 matches in the division.
While Watkins is coming off the back of a campaign that left something to be desired, he still scored 17 goals and chalked up 14 more assists across all competitions, with his exploits rightly seeing podcaster Rohan Jivan name him “one of the best CFs in Europe.”
This is certainly underscored by his impressive track record (across all competitions) against the Premier League’s historic ‘big six’, having notably bagged six times over 11 matches against Arsenal, a statistic that will no doubt dredge up some off-putting memories for the club’s fanbase.
They say that if you can’t beat them, join them, but in Arsenal’s case, if they can’t stop Watkins from scoring, why not just sign him?
There is, of course, more to it than that, but Watkins’ goalscoring record against high-level opposition does underscore his suitability.
That and a consistent goalscoring record that would see Arsenal return to the striking success of old, when Aubameyang last plied his trade in an Arsenal shirt.
24/25
Kai Havertz
9
23/24
Bukayo Saka
16
22/23
Martin Odegaard
15
21/22
Bukayo Saka
11
20/21
Alexandre Lacazette
13
19/20
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
22
Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe, but they lack the deadly goalscorer of their domestic and continental rivals. Bukayo Saka is world-class, but he’s not an out-and-out striker.
And though Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been out injured for a while, neither boasts the true clinical edge needed.
Watkins is a veteran, but so was Aubameyang when the mobile, high-speed star came over way back when. Imagine Auba in this current Gunners team? Such dreams may be realised if Watkins signs this summer.
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