When Arsenal won their first Premier League title under the great Arsene Wenger in 1997-98, the Gunners’ star trio of Ian Wright, Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp all scored in double figures in the league, with the latter leading the league with 16 goals that season.
With six top-flight games left in the 2025/26 season, Victor Gyokeres (12 games) is the only player to lead the league in double figures, far ahead of second-placed Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka (6 games).
While these long-standing problems up front may ultimately matter little for a team that progresses to the Champions League’s top four, Mikel Arteta’s side still appear to be looking for a new attacking spark.
Arsenal – PL top scorer 25/26 | |
|---|---|
player | the goal |
Gokeres | 12 |
Eze | 6 |
of | 6 |
Zubimendi | 5 |
Trossard | 5 |
rice | 4 |
merino | 4 |
wood | 3 |
Gabriel | 3 |
Those hectic days for Bergkamp et al seem a long way off, given the north London side’s current struggles with their forward line-up, with work underway to ensure they make progress in that department ahead of next season.
Arsenal have already started work on a £104m upgrade deal
Mikel Merino, who has been sidelined since January, has scored more league goals this season than the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli, a damning indictment of the underachieving quartet.
Signing a new winger seems to be a priority for everyone, with reports earlier this week suggesting Anthony Gordon is a likely target, with the Englishman said to be more interested in moving to London than any other city.
Newcastle United’s interest in the fugitive has also been confirmed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, but the respected insider has also provided insight into further targets being considered.
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Speaking during a Q&A, Ornstein hinted that work has already begun on a potential summer move, saying it was “clear” that Arsenal wanted to sign a new forward.
Ornstein insisted there was nothing concrete yet, but admitted Atletico Madrid’s Julián Alvarez is one of the Gunners’ favorite players for “a while”.
In terms of money, it was previously reported that Alvarez, who moved to Spain from Manchester City in a deal worth £64.4m in 2024, could receive a transfer fee of around £104m.
Julian Alvarez could become Arsenal’s modern-day Bergkamp
It has to be said that multiple Premier League winner Josep Guardiola isn’t too far wrong, but the City manager has let quite a few superstars escape from goal in recent years, including Cole Palmer, Morgan Rodgers and, of course, Alvarez.
The World Cup winner spent just over two years at the Etihad after joining from River Plate in January 2022, scoring 55 goals and assisting in just 103 games, helping the club win the treble in 2022/23.
Alvarez had to contend with the presence of Erling Haaland ahead of him in the centre-forward pecking order, but was still able to impress in a variety of roles and ended his final season at the club with double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League.
That came despite hardly starting out as a full-fledged striker and instead blossoming from Haaland’s physical core, especially despite Arsenal legend Martin Keown comparing him to the aforementioned Bergkamp at the time.
“He reminds me of Bergkamp because he started as a striker and just wandered into that (midfield) position, so you wonder who’s going to pick him up.”
As Keown hinted, the 26-year-old is almost impossible to contain and pin down, as was evident during Diego Simeone’s time as manager.
In as many games as he played for City, Álvarez has already scored 47 goals and provided 17 assists, and in 122 games back in Argentina he has also recorded 85 goal involvements. Like Bergkamp, he is a goal scorer in the No. 9 slot as well as a creator.
Prolific wherever he is, the 51-capped international has been particularly lethal in the Championship this season, scoring a maximum of nine goals in 13 games ahead of his next game against the Gunners.
Three of those games were in the last 16 against Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and served as a reminder of the damage Arsenal can do against their Premier League opponents.
As the modern-day Bergkamp is a forward who is not locked into a clear role, Alvarez looks like the perfect summer signing as far as Arsenal are concerned, even if he does come with a hefty transfer fee.
As Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez once pointed out, in the final third he is simply a “monster”.
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