Do Arsenal need a new centre-forward to reach the next level?

The sight of Arsenal sitting in fourth place in the Premier League table is proof of the progress Mikel Arteta’s team have made this season. The Gunners might still be a long way from the top of the English game but they stand a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in five years.

In central defence, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White have forged a strong partnership, with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka also on the save wavelength in the middle of the pitch. Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith-Rowe have given Arsenal a new creative core while Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka continue to flourish.

If, however, Arteta’s Arsenal lack one thing, it’s the right long-term striker. Alexandre Lacazette has performed well enough this season but the French striker will be out of contract this summer and keeping the 30-year-old beyond the end of the 2021/22 campaign would go against the North London club’s youth-focused strategy.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s career at the Emirates Stadium also looks as good as over after a second disciplinary breach in 2021 saw him stripped of the Arsenal captaincy and banished from first team training. If Gunners can find a taker for the Gabonese international, they will surely move him on in haste, just as they did with Mesut Ozil.

This would leave Arteta with just Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah as centre forward options and would increase the likelihood of Arsenal making a move for a proven goalscorer in January or at the end of the season, when funds might be available. But which striker would fit the bill as the Gunners’ next great number nine?

Dusan Vlahovic has been strongly linked with a switch to North London. The Serbian youngster has been something of a revelation in Serie A this season, scoring 16 goals in 18 appearances for Fiorentina. Likened to Gabriel Batistuta, Vlahovic appears destined to make the next step in his career sooner rather than later and would, in theory, be a good fit for Arteta’s side.

While Arsenal need a goalscorer, they also need someone who can lead the high press from the front. This is something Vlahovic does very effectively for Fiorentina with the 21-year-old as mobile as he is lethal in front of goal. Arsenal would likely have to spend big to sign the Serbian, such is the level of competition for his signature, but it would be a significant investment in the future of one of European football’s best young forwards.

Alexander Isak can also claim to be one of European football’s best young forwards. The Swedish striker might have scored just four goals in 15 La Liga appearances this season, but his performances at Euro 2020 underlined his potential, as did a 2020/21 campaign which saw Isak find the back of the net 17 times.

Real Sociedad recently inserted a release clause of €70m in Isak’s contract but that could be money well spent for a club, like Arsenal, looking for an all-round centre-forward who still has room for improvement. Isak has been linked with the Emirates Stadium club before, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if Arsenal reignited their interest.

Then there’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, another name recently linked with the Gunners. The 24-year-old would bring a different dimension to the Arsenal squad, giving them genuine aerial presence in attack. However, Calvert-Lewin’s pressing game isn’t as sharp as either Isak’s or Vlahovic’s, plus his injury record would surely be cause for concern.

Arsenal’s transfer record has improved in recent times. This summer saw the Gunners splurge close to £150m, but they got a number of first team figures for that money. Now, they must focus their efforts on finding the right centre forward; the player that could take Arteta’s side to the next level in their development.

 

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