Arsenal chief Edu ‘compiles 10-man striker shortlist’ including Ivan Toney, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak as club prioritise signing a new frontman this summer
Arsenal will look to add a top striker to their artillery this summer, with sporting director Edu reportedly having put together a 10-man shortlist.
His catalog of assassins includes Ivan Toney, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, Sporting CP’s goal-a-game talisman.
Arsenal have been productive without a consistent recognized striker this season, scoring a Premier League best 70 goals so far.
Kai Havertz often operated as a false nine when Gabriel Jesus was injured and despite initially struggling, he began to flourish in the role.
However, the Gunners will return to a typical number nine system from next season and limit their search, according to the Daily mirror.
Arsenal sporting director Edu has reportedly put together a shortlist of ten attackers
Kai Havertz has emerged as his number nine, but Arsenal are aiming to find a specialist top scorer
Ivan Toney is the highlight name on the list, but he could be priced by Brentford for £100m
Ivan Toney and Alexander Isak are the most recognized names in England due to their Premier League experience.
Brentford’s golden boy has scored four goals in ten games since returning from his gambling ban, scoring 21 goals in all competitions last season. However, the Bees have reportedly put a £100 million price tag on their prized asset.
Meanwhile, Isak has scored 16 goals in all competitions for Newcastle and has maintained his form despite persistent injury problems, helping him adapt better to life in England in his second season.
Sporting are desperate to sign Gyokeres, who they signed for a club record £20million this summer.
He has guided them to the top of the Portuguese league, scoring 36 goals in 39 games in all competitions and is so highly regarded that they reportedly rejected a bid for him from Chelsea in January.
The fourth big name is that of Victor Osimhen, the bright light of Napoli and the eighth best player in the world according to the 2023 Ballon d’Or list.
After steering them to a first Scudetto in 33 years last season with 26 Serie A goals, he was the talk of Europe, with Napoli’s cantankerous owner Aurelio De Laurentiis reportedly demanding £150 million for him in the summer.
His star has waned somewhat this season as he has scored 13 goals in all competitions, compared to 31 last time, but he is still one of Europe’s most sought-after men.
Alexander Isak is the other Premier League name to make the cut and has scored 16 goals this season
Viktor Gyokeres is Europe’s most in-demand man with 36 goals, but Sporting are said to have rejected a £73m bid for Chelsea in January
Victor Osimhen struggles to match last season’s title-winning heroics but is still a top player
Lois Openda has been building his reputation for a few years and has 23 goals for RB Leipzig
With Napoli in seventh place and unlikely to offer top European football next season, his time at Diego Maradona’s old club could well be over.
Outside this group – perhaps the four biggest names – is a group of coveted emerging talents between the ages of 20 and 24.
RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda was previously described as a target for Manchester United and has been building his reputation for a few years.
Twenty-three goals this season come after 21 for Lens last season and 24 for Vitesse the year before.
He is a rising star for Domenico Tedesco’s new Belgium and scored twice against Manchester City earlier this season.
His Leipzig teammate Benjamin Sesko is also on Edu’s list, with 11 goals proving his efforts this season. At twenty years old, he is also the youngest.
Arsenal fans will be familiar with Porto’s Evanilson, who played against them in the last 16 of the Champions League. This season he scored 22 goals and six assists.
Brian Brobbey is the youngest player to appear on Ajax’s famed production line and has really made his mark this campaign, scoring 20 goals despite the team as a whole being mediocre.
Benjamin Sesko is the youngest man on their shortlist at 20 years old and has scored 11 goals this campaign
Porto’s Evanilson played against the Gunners in the last 16 of the Champions League
Brian Brobbey is the newest talent from the famous Ajax academy
Santiago Gimenez scored 24 times for Feyenoord and scored a hat-trick against Ajax in September
Victor Boniface has had the pleasure of playing under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen
However, there is a more productive target in the Netherlands: Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord. The Mexican has hit the net 24 times this season and celebrated a hat-trick against Brobbey’s Ajax in September… in a match that was played over two days due to fan disruption.
The last name to mention is Victor Boniface, who was at the forefront of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen revolution and has yet to taste defeat this season.
He scored sixteen goals and nine assists this season, but has not played since December due to a groin injury.
That is a total of 185 goals that Edu is looking at. One wonders what the future holds for Eddie Nketiah, with his modest offering of six in 33 outings.