While Arsenal have made their fair share of big signings in summers past, it would be fair to say the way the club has acted in recent weeks is somewhat unprecedented.
Andrea Berta and Co have already secured the services of Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arizabalaga for a combined £65m, and on top of that, David Ornstein has confirmed that Christian Norgaard’s £15m transfer has been completed.
Furthermore, the links to Noni Madueke don’t seem to be going anywhere, and most exciting of all, it looks more like a matter of when, rather than if, the club will announce the signing of Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swedish international could be a total game-changer for the Gunners, and interestingly, if reports are to be believed, the club could be looking to sign another dynamic attacker who’s a lot like him.
Arsenal target Gyokeres-esque star
After another season in which Arsenal produced the best defence in the Premier League but still fell short, signing a new striker this summer became a necessity.
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For much of the summer, the forward who looked most likely to join Arteta’s side was Benjamin Sesko. However, since it was revealed that RB Leipzig were asking for up to €100m, which is approximately £86m, the club’s focus shifted to Gyokeres.
The pivot to the Sporting CP star has been rapid, as an agreement on personal terms has already been reached, and talks between the two clubs are progressing, with some reports claiming that the final fee will be up to £70m including add-ons.
Interestingly, the North Londoners do not seem content with just the one forward signing, though, as they are also keen on Ademola Lookman.
At least that’s according to a recent report from The Athletic, which has revealed that Arsenal have held discussions concerning the Atalanta star.
The report claims that while the Gunners are fans of the talented international, they do not want to pay the Italian side’s valuation, which some reports have claimed is as high as £55m.
It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Lookman’s incredible ability, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he’s won comparisons to Gyokeres.
How Lookman compares to Gyokeres
When it comes to Lookman’s similarities with Gyokeres, the first place to start is with the statistical side of things.
According to FBref, the Swedish international was the fifth most similar forward to the Nigerian ace in last season’s Champions League.
The best way to understand how they reached this conclusion is to examine some of the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked closely, which include things like goals per shot and shot on target, passing accuracy, key passes and more, all per 90.
Goals per Shot
0.18
0.18
Goals per Shot on Target
0.45
0.44
Passing Accuracy
82.2%
80.0%
Key Passes
2.64
2.50
Aerial Duels Won %
33.3%
30.8%
However, the similarities go beyond these statistics, as just like the Sporting star, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, the Atalanta star has been “one of the best forwards in Europe” in the words of journalist Oma Akatugba recently.
For example, in the 22/23 season, he racked up a brilliant haul of 23 goal involvements in 33 games, which he then followed up with an even better tally of 27 in 45 games the following year.
Then, last season, for the third consecutive campaign, the “world-class” 27-year-old, as dubbed by journalist John Bennett, continued to blow opposition teams away by producing another 27 goal involvements, this time in just 40 games.
Ultimately, whether it’s down to their underlying numbers or the sheer weight of goals and assists they produce, it’s easy to make comparisons between Lookman and Gyokeres.
Appearances
33
45
40
Minutes
1858′
2809′
2871′
Goals
15
17
20
Assists
8
10
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.69
0.60
0.67
Minutes per Goal Involvement
80.78′
104.03′
106.33
Therefore, if Arsenal really want to supercharge their attack this summer, they should do what they can to bring in both of them.
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