Arsenal still have £175m transfer problem for Mikel Arteta to solve before Viktor Gyokeres deal

Despite not signing what many would term describe 'an out-and-out striker' last summer, Arsenal still managed to score more Premier League goals in 2023/24 than they did the year before. The forward they purchased heading into the previous season was Gabriel Jesus.

He had one of the more disappointing drop-offs between 2022/23 and 2023/24. But the struggles weren't limited to the Brazilian. Gabriel Martinelli's output went from 15 goals and five assists to six and four respectively - albeit from 700 less minutes and ten fewer starts.

Jesus managed only four league goals and five assists having made a big initial impression following his transfer from Manchester City. Starting like a house on fire, Jesus notched 11 and six in his first year but injuries set him back significantly.

That is two key players failing to match their totals, but yet the overall output increased. Bukayo Saka managed the same contribution but with a different goals-assists split, while Martin Odegaard was also slightly down. This not to say their impact was reduced, though.

It is fascinating to see this and consider just why Arsenal are now back in the market for a centre-forward. Declan Rice scoring and helping the team from midfield helped things nicely - he managed more assists than all but Saka and Odegaard - while a full season of Leandro Trossard saw him get 12 goals from 18 starts, though he was a regular off the bench.

Then there is Havertz. The false nine more akin to a true striker, who hit 13 goals and seven assists. He was signed to be midfield option. One that crashes the box and attacks, but certainly not target man as he was effectively used.

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Havertz's form in the second half of the season helped Arsenal towards their strong finish but his role also asks questions of what the summer ahead holds. Arteta has made his desire to bring in a striker clear, and not a midfielder masquerading as a striker, or the other way round.

The club priority was Benjamin Sekso, a 6ft5 20-year-old (at the time), averaging 2.82 shots per game, 1.55 on target, with 16 goals from a 7.7 xG. Sesko is raw, he's far from the finished article, but he is one of the most exciting in his position across the game.

He ended last season in remarkable form but struggled before March to make a tangible impact. For the £55million release clause he would be an investment but also a first-team signing straight away. He doesn't offer control right now, though, and is not an archetypal 'final piece of the jigsaw' that clubs in Arsenal's position would usually go for, even if he is a unique market opportunity.

Missing out on him has posed a dilemma. What alternatives can be used? Do Arsenal look for someone close to Sesko's profile or simply scour for top strikers instead, and aim to make them fit?

Well, the answer appears to be a little bit of both. Joshua Zirkzee is a lot of things but he's not a like-for-like alternative to Sesko. Also tall, he's 6ft4, Zirkzee is 23, has a £35million release clause, and acts as move of a link-up player than penalty box striker. In Serie A last season he still managed 12 goals but that was from 3,000 minutes and 37 total appearances (33 starts).

He has a higher assists tally (six) but a similar xA. Like Sesko he outperformed his xG but not by as much. Zirkzee takes less shots per game and has less on target per match (taking from last season's metrics) but is much more involved with passes. He averaged nearly ten more completed passes per game, had a higher completion rate and was more creative for his teammates.

While the two are not identical they are not exactly the same sort of striker. Neither is the third option, Viktor Gyokeres. He is the man of the moment currently with suggestions that a deal is close - although that is also refuted elsewhere.

Gyokeres is a bit of an outlier in the list for several reasons. Not only is he the oldest (26) but he is the only one of the three not to have played in a top-five league yet. He had the most impressive individual season but that came in Portugal, where translating numbers into the Premier League has been notoriously tricky.

A former Brighton youth player - he never played a game in the English top flight - Gyokeres exploded at Sporting CP last year following a transfer for around £17million. His release clause is now £85million and teams are seriously considering it. Why? He score 29 times from 32 starts and logged ten assists.

Gyokeres also scored five times in the Europa League with another two assists, and was prolific in the Championship before moving. He managed 38 in his last two campaigns at Coventry with 15 assists, and although the Portuguese league-Premier League doesn't necessarily crossover with top output, Championship players have a stronger record historically.

Again, though, Gyokeres is a different sort of player to the others. He had the highest shots per game score but was in a weaker league. Compared to Zirkzee he had more less passes per90 but more than Sesko. His completion was also between the two.

The Swede aided his teammates more than the others but was less of a defensive presence both in terms oftackles, blocks, and interceptions. He also wasn't as involved in the build-up as much given how central to the team he became.

What this all seems to reflect is that the three here are all different. Their strengths and weaknesses are varied, as are the prices. Arsenal are still looking to find a striker as the summer goes on but even with their targets, it's no clearer what they want or what that means for Havertz.

Given that there is almost £200million of talent on the table, it will certainly be interesting to see how the club move forward in pursuing their next centre-forward and just how much of a natural striker they will be.