If Arsenal believed they were complete, Andrea Berta would have been the first to remind them after the Wembley defeat to Manchester City that reinforcements were still available.
It was a humiliating afternoon that exposed the Gunners’ problems with open play. Despite two weeks of reflection during the international break and a well-timed recoverable injury, the loss remains a stinging one for Mikel Arteta.
But for Berta, it at least showed the problems Arsenal must solve this summer if they are to possibly turn Premier League glory into an era of domination.
Who could Berta sign this summer?
The first item on a sporting director’s to-do list should be finding a way to get the best out of Bukayo Saka again. The winger has faded into the shadow of the player who dominated the Premier League a few years ago, and with the arrival of Max Daumann, serious doubts are starting to arise.
Arteta could replace Saka and Madueke with Arsenal’s ‘modern-day Ljungberg’
It would be amazing to see Mikel Arteta’s injured pair feature for Arsenal this weekend.
Most worryingly, Saka is yet to be linked with big-money signing Victor Gokeres. In theory, it’s a match made in heaven.
The Swede is the epitome of a striker with his back to his back, and while he also has the speed to spin at the back, he should do a better job of holding up to get other players into play.
Sadly, despite scoring goals, too many games passed him by. The inability to retain possession in the final third left Saka isolated wide rather than in an inside-forward role, limiting Arsenal in particular against Man City.
Bukayo Saka PL 25/26 | |
|---|---|
minutes | 2,001 |
the goal | 6 |
assist | 3 |
XG | 6.99 |
Dribbling success P90 | 2.2 |
Considering Kai Havertz hasn’t had much luck on this front either, signing another forward may be Bertha’s best way to get the best out of Arsenal’s star academy product.
Cristian Cofane could be Arsenal’s next Anelka
In that regard, the Gunners could kill two birds with one stone by signing a future star and a player who can bring out the best in Saka.
Arsenal are in talks to sign Christian Kofane from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with six other clubs also in the running, according to his agent Eric Depolo.
The Gunners appear keen to get ahead of the race and are “expected” to make an offer sooner rather than later.
The 19-year-old has made an impressive breakthrough in Germany, scoring seven goals and assisting a further eight in all competitions.
He clearly ticks the boxes for the type of player Berta tends to target. Arsenal’s sporting director has built a fairly young group of players and adding Kofane to that group would be a stroke of genius.
Not only could the forward partner Dauman in the coming years, but he could also emerge next to Saka as early as next season.
25/26 League Statistics | Gokeres | Please stay the same |
|---|---|---|
minutes | 1,900 | 996 |
Target P90 | 0.52 | 0.45 |
Assist P90 | 0 | 0.27 |
Dribbling success P90 | 0.28 | 0.54 |
Opportunity creation P90 | 0.76 | 1.27 |
While Gokeres is quite one-dimensional as a complete goalscorer, the numbers suggest Kofane is an all-rounder, creating almost one more chance per game than the Arsenal star.
Of course, it wasn’t that long ago that the north Londoners took a gamble by signing another teenage striker in Nicolas Anelka.
He scored nine goals in his first full season and finished his Arsenal career having won a double in the 1997/98 season, having been involved in 42 goals in 90 games.
In a few years, Kofane could be looking to follow in his footsteps and push Gökeres into the starting spot, much like Anelka was competing with Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp.
All signs point towards a top player. However, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will play a key role in the player’s path to the top.
Arsenal could accept a £60m bid to replace Joe Keles
Victor Gokeres may soon have a rival for Arsenal’s centre-forward spot.
