Arsenal are once again in the glare of the transfer spotlight as the capital club will fall short of ending their Premier League trophy drought thanks to Arne Slot's high-flying Liverpool.
Despite the best efforts from gifted tactician Mikel Arteta and a resilient Gunners outfit that felt the wrath of the injury bug which stripped them of much of their attacking talent, a third consecutive runner-up finish will have to do in North London for now.
But there is renewed hope among much of the fanbase after the club officially unveiled Andrea Berta as its new sporting director, with Arteta himself speaking on the immediate impact the 53-year-old brings with him from Atlético de Madrid.
And with the prevailing theory surrounding Berta's first remit at London Colney to be the man to get big deals over the line to push the club beyond the final hurdle, links to names surrounding questions at centre forward have already kicked off.
🔴⚪️ Arteta on Andrea Berta joining Arsenal as new director: “The first words were winning, improving, demanding”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 31, 2025
“He’s gonna help us a lot. His drive and will to win is going to be very contagious”. pic.twitter.com/4ieLFxzl73
The London club already maintains known interest in Newcastle United and Swedish star Alexander Isak as well as RB Leipzig and Slovenia hotshot Benjamin Šeško.
However, the reintroduction of Sporting CP's Viktor Gyökeres into the striker debate in the wake of Berta's arrival points to a potential shift in transfer doctrine in the upcoming summer window.
While other names, such as Eintracht Frankfurt and France U21 hitman Hugo Ekitiké have also been mooted, the immediacy with which Arsenal needs to acquire a known quantity to lead the line at the Emirates points to one of the big three mentioned above.
In that light, we take a deeper look into the data surrounding Isak, Gyökeres, and Šeško, and what each of them brings to the table as Arsenal enters a period where done deals could potentially make or break the long-standing project under Arteta.
Havertz, Gyökeres, and Šeško
The pressures of competing at the very top of the Premier League pile often require a leading light in the number 9 role; something that Arsenal can boast only some of the time.
It is worth mentioning that Kai Havertz remains highly rated by Arteta and his staff, and that the entire package the German international has given the Spaniard on the tactics board remains difficult to fully replicate in a new signing.
But as highly rated as former Bayer Leverkusen wunderkind is, it remains clear that the long-standing hunt for a greater goalscoring presence is proof positive that something greater is desired.
Havertz has banked a lot of credit after his all-action performances for the club showcased the ability to press, drop deep, and affect game states in all phases of play.
On the other side of the coin, his inconsistency in front of goal, and downright poor decision making when big chances are presented to him, are ...
