£130m star becomes Arsenal’s ‘dream’ target

Last summer, Andrea Berta had one main goal in his first transfer window as Arsenal’s head of recruitment. It was to sign a new centre-forward.

Initially, it looked like Benjamin Sesco was set to move on. That was Mikel Arteta’s choice, but seeing the financial implications of a deal to bring the Slovenian to England, he instead opted for the cheaper and proven Viktor Gökeres.

Arteta was also on board with this move, but in the end it was Berta’s initiative.

Did they find the right person? Well, the Gunners won the Premier League, so it’s hard to argue too much with the business they got done a year ago.

However, there was still room for improvement in Gokeres’ overall play. Explain your connection to the new striker.

129-pound striker becomes Arsenal’s dream transfer target

Arsenal’s relationship with Gokeres is not perfect, which has led Arsenal to consider their options at the top end of the pitch.

Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi has already been linked with Bournemouth this summer, making him a key target for Arteta and co.

The Frenchman was exceptional as the Cherries finished in the European places. No teenager has scored more goals (13) than Crupi did in his debut season in the Premier League.

Alas, the asking price of between £80 million and £100 million seems far too high for someone with just one year’s experience at the top level.

Arsenal are keen to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, albeit at a high price. There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the Argentine this summer, with the Gunners reportedly already discussing a move with the Argentine’s camp.

Real Madrid recently made a £130m bid to lure the forward across the Spanish capital, but it was literally laughed out. Atleti do not want to be sold to another Spanish team, which could open the door for a return to the Premier League.

BBC’s Sami Mokbel spoke about the potential signing on the Latte Farm Arsenal podcast over the weekend. “Arsenal have a long-term interest in Julian Alvarez and it’s a deal they want, and it would be a dream signing for Arteta and Berta. “If there’s any way Arsenal think it’s possible this summer, it would leave Goqueres in doubt.”

Comparison of Alvarez and Victor Goqueres

If Gokeres is to be judged solely on goals, he has had an excellent debut season in north London.

Admittedly, he may not have reached the dizzying heights he achieved with Lisbon, especially in the 2024/25 season when he scored 54 goals in 52 games, but he was never going to repeat that in England.

Instead, he found the back of the net 21 times. He ended their title-winning campaign as Arsenal’s top scorer in all competitions. That’s not bad, right?

But the Gunners have been in the market for an elite striker in recent years, and the Swedish superstar is far from the answer.

For a long time now, Arsenal have been using a false number nine as their striker. Mikel Merino had great success playing as a makeshift center forward because he was similar in style to Kai Havertz.

Germans are preferred in important situations. He started in the Carabao Cup final, started in the league match against Manchester City and also started and scored in the Champions League final.

This is because it draws players into the game more than Gokeres. Well, if they can get Alvarez, they’ll have a player who can not only assist, but also score with great regularity.

It was only recently that the Argentina star was described by his compatriot and journalist Roy Nemer as “the best centre-forward in the world” after his debut season with Atleti.

After leaving Manchester City, the 26-year-old scored 29 goals for Atleti in the 2024/25 season. He then added another 20 goals in the 2025/26 season.

Like Gokeres, Alvarez is a ruthless finisher. His predatory instincts are among the best in the world. But overall, he offers much more than Arsenal’s number 14.

For context, it’s about the expected threats in the build-up phase of play. Gokeres ranks in the worst 20% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues on this metric, while the former Man City player ranks in the top 9% of players similar to his position.

One of the biggest criticisms of the big Swede is his ability to dribble with the ball. In the 2025/26 season, he had a dismal 0.04 successful dribbles and only 0.28 successful dribbles.

By comparison, Alvarez finished in 0.43 and 1.23, respectively. At 25 years old, he is technically very stable. He can easily bring other players into the play and knows where the back of the net is.

It seems unlikely that Arsenal will let go of Gokeres after just one year in the club, but if they do cross the line and sign the Argentine, it could be time to say goodbye to his place in the team. In the words of Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez, he is a “monster.”