Arsenal could sign ‘answer to Haaland’ after direct talks with Berta

Ultimately, goal difference may decide whether Arsenal or Manchester City win the Premier League title.

So Erling Haaland could be the man to get Pep Guardiola’s side over the line. That’s not surprising. He’s one of the best center forwards here.

As for Victor Gokeres, he continues to struggle at the top of Mikel Arteta’s attack. Yes, he may be the Gunners’ top scorer with 18 strikes this term, but his overall game still leaves a lot of room for improvement.

It would then not be at all surprising if Andrea Berta makes a second attempt at signing a new striker when the summer transfer window opens. Julian Alvarez is one of the top candidates.

Arsenal could sign a big-money replacement for Julian Alvarez

The name on everyone’s lips at Emirates Stadium right now is Alvarez.

Arsenal have a long-term interest in the former City attacker, with reports in recent weeks even suggesting the Argentine is open to offers from the Gunners.

However, Barcelona and PSG are also reportedly competing to secure his signature in a deal that could be worth in excess of £100m.

On top of that, there aren’t that many options on the striker market this summer, but Victor Osimhen could be one of them.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for the player in the past, and if all goes well, a deal could be finalized this summer.

As it happens, Berta may be preparing something special behind the scenes. Indeed, the club’s transfer chief was snapped at the weekend by Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek and journalist Serkan Korkmaz.

The topic of the conversation was not clear, but it is not uncommon for clubs to discuss the possibility of signing certain players every time they meet. Indeed, Korkmaz later admitted that Arsenal’s “target” was Osimhen.

The Mirror reports details of the trip, suggesting that Berta and newly appointed head of recruitment Maurizio Micheli attended Sunday’s game between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. They are said to have been invited by agent George Gardi, who was a key figure in Osimhen’s £65m move from Napoli last summer.

Why Osimhen could be Arsenal’s answer to Haaland

Arsenal’s big problem this season has been their inability to create chances, rather than their ability to score them.

In fact, when Gokeres gets in front of goal, he usually takes the chance. He has the seventh highest conversion rate in the Premier League. For context, it’s better than the aforementioned Haaland.

But we all know how good the Norwegian is. City’s key player has found the net 35 times this term. 17 more than Gokeres.

The truth is that if Guardiola beats Arteta, the difference is likely to be at centre-forward. No matter how many chances he creates for Gokeres, he finds it increasingly difficult to influence the game.

This season, 40% of his touches ended in failure. For comparison, only 26% of Haaland’s touches were unsuccessful. He keeps possession of the ball more efficiently and is much better technically.

So what about Osimhen? Well, it seems like the Nigerian has been aching for a move to the Premier League for some time, but if he finally comes to England, Arsenal may have, in the words of Gunners reporter and analyst Harvey Diamond, “an answer for Haaland”.

why? Well, like Haaland, he’s the type of player who grabs you by the scruff of the neck and wins games on his own.

Osimhen has been playing in Türkiye this season, scoring 20 goals in 31 games. Seven of those goals came in 10 games, proving he can do it at the highest level.

A ruthless centre-forward, he is much more involved than Gokeres and is a monster of a striker, someone who bulldozes through defenses and often finds the back of the net.

Not only is it more balanced in terms of attributes, the fact is that Osimhen has been doing this at a high level for some time. It was the Nigerian sensation who finally got Napoli over the line as they won their first Serie A title in 33 years in the 2022/23 season.

That season, the striker scored 26 goals, making him the league’s top scorer.

This is exactly the type of striker Arsenal need. He is a proven bagman in Europe’s top five leagues and if Berta can get over the line and get a deal, he could be the difference between first and second place in the coming years.