Manager Andrea Berta has called Arsenal to sign a “powerful” striker following a request from manager Mikel Arteta.
Gunners eyeing new striker despite Gokeres’ improved form
Victor Goqueres, who scored twice in the 4-1 north London derby win against Tottenham Hotspur last month, was praised by manager Arteta: “We always knew about his quality. He is a great striker. He needs to understand the team and the league better. We are on the right track.”
“The demands he puts on himself and the expectations to help the team are high. Our players say he’s a nightmare to face in practice, but that’s always a good sign of how good a player is.”
The Sweden international has scored five goals in his last six games and has found the back of the net 15 times in 37 games across all competitions this season, a decent result for his debut season.
However, despite the fact that Gokeres is starting to find his feet in the Premier League, the North Londoners are keen to sign a new centre-forward this summer, with Arteta currently demanding to sign Inter Milan star Pio Esposito.
This is according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sports Witness), who said that manager Berta immediately telephoned to inquire about Esposito’s participation status, but was told that the Italian side had no intention of allowing him to leave.
The 20-year-old is seen as a key player for Inter, and his contract at San Siro runs until 2030, meaning he is in a better position in negotiations and could find it difficult to tempt the Serie A side into a sale.
‘Powerful’ Esposito enjoys a smooth debut in Serie A
After spending the 2024-25 season on loan at Spezia, the youngster has managed to force his way into Inter’s plans this season and has had a solid season considering his age, contributing eight goals in 25 appearances in Serie A.
Scout Ben Mattinson has always been supportive of the starlet’s development at Inter, praising him in April last year as “a big physical presence with a powerful ball-striking ability”.
The former Spezia loanee has been a constant threat in Serie A, averaging 1.5 shots on target per 90, the most of any Inter player, but he is still not the most clinical of strikers as he has squandered 11 big chances, three more than Goqueres has missed in the Premier League.
It’s not the end of the world that Esposito looks set to be unavailable this summer, even though Gokeres is in rich form and could be an exciting long-term addition to the squad, as Arteta has Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus at his disposal.
