Arsenal has almost sealed Victor Gyoker’s signature, and Mikel Arteta ultimately has the center he longs for.
This is an up club and has been at the helm by Arteta for several years. But things are probably a little monotonous. Football has lost a sense of talent. The sense of X-factor. Electricity.
But the context is important and in fact needs to be applied here. The gunners have been plagued by injuries throughout the 2024/25 campaign, with the highest level of flow ency being always proven difficult to reach.
But even so, the lack of out-and-out scorers was clear. If Kai Herberts and Gabriel Jesus had achieved an injury-free season, there would still be something missing in the Premier League. Enter gyokeres.
The Swedish striker is subject to a £64 million agreement between Arsenal and two-person Portuguese champion Lisbon. Throughout his two terms with the club, he scored 97 goals and raided with 28 assists in 102 games.
It’s a game-changing signature, and Arteta may be trying to welcome more quality to his team.
What’s next for Arsenal
Gyoker ostensibly fixes Arsenal’s biggest issue, but technical director Andrea Berta will be overseeing a more exciting deal as the forwards Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli are unknown on the left.
Arsenal is also looking for another creative midfielder and is trapped in discussions with Crystal Palace star Ebeki Eze’s camp. Xavi Simons was interesting, but it appears that the men from RB Leipzig are likely to join Chelsea.
Simons’ versatility was a welcome asset on the Arsenal side in search of more dynamism and multifaceted quality, but at Eze, Arteta landed the proven sense of Premier League, taking on the role of amulet in the Eagles’ final terminology, leading him to the FA Cup title.
It is still unclear whether Eze or Simons will join the Emirates side, but neither contract should block out-and-out wingers from signing.
Arsenal lined up new wingers
Arsenal is “watching” a contract with Real Madrid’s Rodrigo, but Liverpool is also expected to raise interest if they sell Louis Diaz to Bayern Munich, according to catch-offside Charles Watts.
The Los Blancos are open to sales of Rodrygo, who has been informed of a reduction in role in the Xabi Alonso system, but they only get it for a fair price, at a high figure of £87 million in market discourse.
Watts stresses that Ethan Nuwaneri’s new contract should not disrupt the pursuit of Brazilian players.
What Rodrigo brings to Arsenal
Arsenal has more creativity in the form of promising talent like Simons, but Martin Odegard is set to lead the club again.
The skipper may not have been his best last year, but as Benfica winger Andreas Scheldelup argues, he is still “one of the best footballers in the world.”
And, as his former teammate Luca Modrik said, “world-class” players like Rodrigo on the left, it’s not clear how expensive a Real Madrid guy is in an Arsenal shirt.
Rodrigo left a lot of things to be desired last season, but he currently has over 25 goal contributions in three campaigns, certainly highlighting his elite capabilities.
Plus, he just missed one big chance in La Liga last season, like he scored six goals according to Sofa Scole. What does this tell us? Well, he says that the 24-year-old retained an impressive clinical edge of his performance while he was under standard.
But of course, in Saka, Rodrigo will need to leave his usual role in that flank and play the left wing instead, as he is one of the best right wings in the world’s football.
Luckily, this is exactly what he wants to do. The right footer felt the left side was an elusive territory as priority was given at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodrigo – Real Madrid statistics by position (24/25) | |||
---|---|---|---|
position | App | the goal | assist |
Right winger | 31 | 8 | 5 |
Left winger | 12 | 6 | 6 |
Center Forward | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Statistics through the Transfer Market |
Rodrigo’s skill on the left is clear. He is much more prolific when placed in his natural role. If Arsenal uses him in the right way, he has the opportunity to prove himself as a greater talent than someone like Simmons, who is on Arteta’s radar, but is probably not needed when Odegard is desperate for his best form.
Plus, even as he built a highlight season in his career, Simons was not on par with Rodrigo, who didn’t cause his best football, as Dutchman scored 11 goals during the 2024/25 campaign and provided eight assists in all competitions.
And while the 22-year-old is a more playmaker than the scary Rodrigo, he’s routinely played on the left, so it feels like the gunners have preferred the latter instead.
This is further reflected through the asking price of Bundesliga Club Starman. Arsenal and Chelsea are both cited at 56 million pounds, suggesting that his signature will not carry the same weight as Rodrigo.
But then we know this. I know how much this signs. With both Trossard and Martinelli flattering out to deceive the stage last year, there is little question that Brazilians will inspire the fridge of excitement that the Simons probably don’t match perfectly.
It’s not an easy thing, but if Arsenal has the means, they have to throw a kitchen sink at Rodrigo and get him involved in taking this exciting project to the next level.
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