Arsenal submit £86m bid for new striker

When Kai Havertz scored just six minutes into the Champions League final to give Arsenal the lead, it felt like it was meant to be this season.

For an hour, the Gunners looked like European winners. Six days after the start of the Premier League, a new trophy was on the horizon.

Well, that was until Hviča Kvaratscheria did his magic and scored a penalty, allowing Ousmane Dembélé to score.

It was a match that will forever be remembered for penalties, but not for Dembele. Arsenal’s dreams ended when Gabriel fired high into the crowd for the decisive penalty in the shootout.

Anyway, what a season this year has been. They continue to wait for the Champions League title, but for the first time in 22 years they can call themselves champions of England.

This is incredibly exciting as the Gunners head into a transfer window where they can capitalize on their good form and make another big splash.

Arsenal bid for new striker

Speaking after the final, Mikel Arteta was understandably distraught by the events in Budapest, but there was one thing he said that particularly stood out.

“If we want to get to another level, we will start making some very important decisions and we will have to demonstrate that ambition. We are more than capable of doing that, but we will need to be very ambitious, very quick and very smart,” he told reporters.

There is nothing mysterious about this. Arteta wants to invest as much as possible to bridge the gap with PSG in Europe.

Arsenal have already overcome the challenge of Manchester City at domestic level, but the two-time champions lost just twice in continental competition last year.

So how can we improve it? Well, a new striker will certainly help.

Reports in recent weeks have outlined the club’s interest in Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez, and they now appear to be intensifying their interest in signing the Argentine.

Argentine journalist Veronica Brunati reported this weekend that Arsenal have already submitted an initial bid to Atleti worth £86 million plus one player.

However, it is unlikely that it will be accepted. Atleti have revealed they want a transfer fee greater than the £104 million they paid when they sold Antoine Griezmann, amid growing interest from Barcelona, ​​who are said to be Alvarez’s priority.

Comparison of Julian Alvarez and Kai Havertz

Arteta had a big decision to make ahead of Saturday’s final, and that was deciding who would start as striker.

Viktor Gökeres finished the season as Arsenal’s top scorer with 21 goals in all competitions, but the Swede did not start. In his place came Havertz, the man worthy of this momentous occasion.

The German was the only scorer when Chelsea won the final in 2021, and Arteta’s decision was vindicated after just six minutes when Havertz swung past PSG’s last line and fired high into the roof of the goal to give Arsenal the lead.

However, Havertz is not a ruthless centre-forward. Gokeres surpasses him in terms of scoring ability. The former is better when it comes to build-up play.

That makes both of them valuable to the team. Having two completely different options will allow Arsenal to put together different plans for their forward line-up.

But if Arteta’s side are to reach the next level, they will need an elite number nine. This is where Alvarez comes into play.

Once hailed as “the best centre-forward in the world” by South American journalist Roy Nemer, he may have been surpassed by the likes of Harry Kane since then, but he remains, in the words of Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez, “a monster”.

In his debut season with Atleti in 2024/25, he scored 29 goals. This season he scored 20 goals. To put these numbers into context, they are better than Havertz has achieved all season so far.

His highest score for Arsenal was 15 goals last season, while his career best was 20 goals in 42 games with Leverkusen in 2018/19.

But what really separates Alvarez from the strikers already at Arsenal is his overall play. Something like Alexis Sanchez, this is a player who will develop as a false No. 9 player.

The 26-year-old loves to score goals, but he’s also a great creator. He has provided 10 assists in all competitions this season, and 13 in his final season at Manchester City.

One of the reasons Arteta favors Havertz over Gokeres in important situations this season is because of his combination play. The ball sticks to him more regularly and his link-up play is great. But Alvarez is better in that regard.

The World Cup winner ranks within the top 9% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues as an expected threat in the build-up phase of play. Gökeres ranks in the worst 20% and Havertz ranks in the top 50%.

Alvarez is used as more of an out-and-out striker in the Spanish capital, but is also well used to dropping deep and would be an ideal upgrade to Arsenal’s current forward options.

After a season in which we won the league and finished runners-up in the Champions League final, now is not the time to stand still. Josh Kroenke and co need to get big again to really regain the momentum they’ve built over the past few years.