It’s now a widely held opinion that the first point of call for Arsenal in the transfer window this summer should be a new striker.
In fact, it seems to be an opinion held by the club as well, with what feels like an endless steam of reports linking them to every prolific forward going.
However, the name that appears to be popping up more than any other at the moment is Viktor Gyokeres, who has been on fire for Sporting CP over the last two seasons, racking up 95 goals and 28 assists in just 100 appearances.
The Swedish marksman would undoubtedly improve the Gunners’ first team, but based on recent reports, the club may also be looking to smash their transfer record on another attacker, someone even more exciting than Gyokeres.
Arsenal's hunt for a new forward
Before getting to the star in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other exciting attackers linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, like Daizen Maeda and Rayan Cherki.
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The former is said to be available for around £25m in the summer, and while he might not be the most exciting name around, his unreal output of 33 goals and 12 assists in 49 games this season more than makes up for that.
If the club would prefer to shop in a top-five league, then £30m for Cherki wouldn’t be the worst idea, as in just 43 games for Lyon this year, the Frenchman has scored 12 goals and provided 19 assists.
However, for a player to truly be more exciting than Gyokeres, they need to have been performing at a top level for quite some time, like Rafael Leao.
According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in the AC Milan star.
The report has revealed that the Portuguese international has made it onto the North Londoners’ shortlist ahead of the summer and that new Sporting Director Andera Berta is a big fan of his.
However, on top of some stiff competition from the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona, there is a chance the Gunners would have to pay the player’s £150m release clause, which would blow their previous transfer record of £105m on Declan Rice out of the water.
With that said, if Arsenal can find a way to sign Leao this summer, they should do it, as he’d be an incredible asset to the team and an even more exciting acquisition than Gyokeres.
Why Leao is more exciting than Gyokeres
Okay, so the first thing to say here is that, in an ideal world, Arsenal would sign both of these players, and given the incredible number of goals Gyokeres is scoring, there is a strong argument that he is what they need more.
However, we are not here to argue about the most necessary transfer; we’re just considering who would be more exciting at the Emirates, and for our money, that would be Leao.
After all, what is it that really gets fans off their feet during a game of football? It’s moments of magic, technical brilliance and inventiveness, which the AC Milan star has in spades.
Fans want to see their star players take defenders on and win, which is exactly what they’d get from the former LOSC Lille star, as The Athletic’s Alex Barke’s claim that he’s “one of the best dribblers in the world” is more than backed up by the data.
According to FBref, the “world-class” winger, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, sits in the top 5% of all attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 6% for carries into the penalty area and the top 7% for attempted take-ons, all per 90.
If that’s not enough to convince you that the 25-year-old would have the Emirates crowd in the palm of his hands, then perhaps the description of him being like an “early Thierry Henry” from former Milan coach Stefano Pioli will.
Finally, while we are focussing on what the Almada-born entertainer is capable of doing in the build-up to goals, he’s no slouch when it comes to output either.
Appearances
259
Minutes
17698′
Goals
70
Assists
62
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
Minutes per Goal Involvement
134.07′
In 259 appearances for Milan, totalling 17698 minutes, the 39-capped superstar has scored 70 goals and provided 62 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.96 games, or every 134.07 minutes, which is unreal across a six-season period.
Ultimately, Arsenal should be looking to sign Gyokeres and Leao this summer, but when it comes down to pure entertainment value and their ability to excite the fans, we reckon Leao has an edge.
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