We are in the final days of the summer transfer window and Arsenal still have some more business to complete.
With Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira leaving the club, Eddie Nketiah rumoured to be next and Gabriel Jesus suffering a groin injury, the Gunners now look incredibly weak in attack.
Mikel Arteta himself recognised this after the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa, saying: “We are a little behind, if we can do something, we will do it.”
As things stand, the Gunners could well find themselves in a situation where the club has no fit striker and no clear option to replace Kai Havertz.
The rumored interest in Viktor Gyökeres, Ivan Toney and Benjamin Šeško never became anything serious – but there is another name that could change everything.
Victor Osimhen is still expected to leave Serie A club Napoli in the final days of the transfer window and his once-staggering price tag appears to have dropped significantly.
Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli submitted a €65 million offer for the Nigerian star last week and there is no indication that the offer was rejected, with the obvious stumbling block being personal conditions.
This potential transfer fee is miles away from the €120 million release clause that the Azzurri had demanded at the beginning of the transfer period.
Every Arsenal fan has heard Arteta coin the phrase “market opportunity” and now Osimhen could embody just that.
The 25-year-old is one of the most respected strikers in world football and there is no doubt why.
With 15 goals in just 25 appearances in Serie A last season and 26 goals in 32 appearances the season before, Osimhen has earned a reputation as a prolific goalscorer.
His speed and physicality make him a real challenge for the defense – and his work ethic is phenomenal.
It is often said that Arsenal are just one focused striker away from the Premier League title – and Osimhen could bridge that gap and more.
Unfortunately, he also has some problem areas, with his injury history being the biggest concern.
Over the course of his career, he missed 86 matches for his club and country due to injury, making a total of 616 days without a player.
The competition in the hunt for Osimhen is fierce: Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and also Al Ahli are interested.
Chelsea are believed to be the most likely to sign his services, while the player’s agent appears to have ruled out a transfer to Saudi Arabia, saying: “Victor still has so much to do in Europe.”
It remains to be seen who Osimhen’s preferred target is and whether Arsenal can even afford the salaries and agent fees required for the move, as well as the transfer fee itself.
I must confess that I am going to sound a little (or maybe very) hypocritical here, as I previously wrote an article explaining why Arsenal not sign Osimhen.
Nevertheless, it is clear to me that a transfer of the Napoli star would bring enormous benefits that outweigh the potential disadvantages – even if the risks still exist.
If a deal cost more than €100 million, it would seem far riskier, but given the supposedly lower transfer fee, it seems like a no-brainer.
In fact, it’s hard to imagine Arsenal pulling off this deal in such a short space of time. But this is one of the best market opportunities we’ll ever see and it would solve several problems.
