While they haven’t hit the heights they did at Highbury, Arsenal have been blessed with an abundance of incredible players since moving to the Emirates two decades ago.
For example, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães wouldn’t be out of place alongside some of the club’s very best players.
Moreover, even during Arsène Wenger’s later years, fans and the Premier League as a whole were treated to some truly mercurial talents, such as Mesut Özil and Santi Cazorla.
Yet, when it comes to arguably the best attacker the Emirates faithful have had the joy of watching, it is hard to look past the force of nature that was Alexis Sanchez.
So, fans should be ecstatic that it looks like the club is about to sign someone who could be Mikel Arteta’s own version of the Chilean.
Arsenal target game-changing attackers
While reinforcing the rest of the team is a smart move from Arsenal, it goes without saying that adding more goals to the side is priority number one.
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Therefore, talk of signing Eberechi Eze for around £60m makes perfect sense, as while he’s not necessarily an out-and-out attacker, the Crystal Palace star did rack up 25 goal involvements in 43 games last season.
Likewise, while fans might not be delighted with the links to Noni Madueke, he had a reasonable return of 11 goals and five assists in 2449 minutes last season.
However, although both players are likely to improve the North Londoners’ overall attack, more so the Eagles star, neither is expected to have the same impact as Alexis did when he joined the club, which might not be the case for Viktor Gyokeres.
Yes, according to a recent report from A Bola, as relayed via Spanish media, Arsenal have maintained their determination to sign the Sporting CP star.
More than that, the report has revealed that talks between the two sides are at such an advanced stage that an agreement in principle has been reached.
The report claims that the Gunners are set to pay an initial fee of €65m, with add-ons, which should bring the final price to around €80m, equivalent to approximately £69m.
It’s a lot of money to spend on one player, but Gyokeres has proven himself to be worth such a fee, and he could develop into Arteta’s own Alexis.
Why Gyokeres could be Arteta's Alexis
So, to get it out of the way right away, there is one massive, unavoidable difference between Gyokeres and Alexis: their positions.
The former was, at his best, a devastatingly effective winger, and the latter is an out-and-out striker, but that doesn’t matter.
Our argument is not that the Swedish international will replicate the Chilean’s exact playstyle, but rather that he could come in and have a similar impact on the club.
Appearances
166
Minutes
13556′
Goals
80
Assists
44
Goal Involvements per Match
0.74
Minutes per Goal Involvement
109.32′
For example, in his first campaign at the Emirates, the former Barcelonian star was nothing short of game-changing, and ended up bagging an absurd tally of 25 goals and 12 assists in 52 appearances.
He then followed that up with 17 goals and ten assists in 41 games the following season.
When he finally left the club, the Tocopilla-born dynamo had racked up a monstrous haul of 80 goals and 44 assists in 166 games.
Interestingly, when you watch back his highlights, it becomes clear that it was a combination of technical skill and sheer determination that helped him score so many goals.
Now, the former Coventry City star might not have the technique of the 36-year-old, but he undoubtedly has that same brutal determination to his game, potentially even more so than the former Arsenal ace.
Don’t just take our word for it, though, as respected analyst Ben Mattinson has claimed that one of the Swede’s biggest strengths “is his mentality,” he has “an obsession with scoring goals” and that he’ll “have utter confidence in his ability to be the main man.”
We’ve seen this single-mindedness to make things happen off the pitch as well, with reports emerging earlier this week claiming that he is willing to give up almost €2m of his salary to help make this transfer happen.
Finally, away from the psychoanalysis, the Stockholm-born “monster,” as dubbed by Mattinson, also shares the trait of being an output machine with the former Emirates star, and can take the game by the scruff of the neck that way.
Appearances
50
52
Minutes
4169′
4248′
Goals
43
54
Assists
15
13
Goal Involvements per Match
1.16
1.28
Minutes per Goal Involvement
71.87′
63.40′
For example, in 52 appearances for the Lisbon outfit last season, totalling 4248 minutes, he scored a mammoth 54 goals and provided 13 assists for good measure.
That means the international poacher maintained an out-of-this-world average of 1.28 goal involvements per game, or one every 63.40 minutes.
Ultimately, the Gyokeres might not be as technical a player as Alexis was, but thanks to the sheer weight of his determination and the number of goals he’s capable of scoring, there is every chance he could be to Arteta what the Chilean was to Wenger.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes