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Gyokeres signs, Guler role, Havertz dilemma - Arsenal dream attack after £138m transfers

Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres
-Credit: (Image: Bruno de Carvalho/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)


And the search goes on for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta is yet to find his man. Benjamin Sesko has come and gone, Joshua Zirkzee is in limbo. Other names remain on the periphery of this conversation.

Ivan Toney is there, as is Victor Osimhen. Nobody has truly caught the eye in the way that Sesko did though, and his possible availability in 12 months complicates things.

The Gunners must now weigh up just how desperate they are to get a striker compared with the desire to get the striker, in Sesko. Was he merely the best out there and now second or third choice will do, or was it a case of picking him out, taking the opportunity, and now standing by the Slovenian until next summer?

The lack of obvious candidates that are realistic and affordable says plenty. That Viktor Gyokeres, valued at £85million by Sporting CP just a year on from buying him over four times less than that, is deemed to be even in the mix, says a lot.

There are other issues at stake here as well. Just like with the rest of the squad and how it fits together, there must be balance. There was something missing from the team throughout most of the first half of the season before Arteta got the approach right and the goalscoring never stopped after the winter break.

But the demand for a new striker remains and Gyokeres is not a new target. He is a player the club had in their radar heading into the summer, football.london understands, and now he is being considered again, it seems.

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What does this mean for Gabriel Jesus? Where will Kai Havertz play well everyone is fit? Can both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard thrive with new forwards arriving? And how does this all work with the midfield and attacking No.8s that are effectively No.10s?

Here, football.london takes a look...

Bukayo Saka

Everything may well be changing around him but Saka remains a constant. He will be on the right, providing width, forming triangles of death with Martin Odegaard and Ben White, cutting inside to shoot both near and far post. Saka is the tried and tested.

Arsenal do need to be wary about tiring him out and burning through his energy too quickly, especially after an international tournament this summer, so finding true depth on the wings will be important. Speaking of...

Arda Guler

This might come as a surprise, but Real Madrid's teenage sensation is linked with a move to the Premier League. His stock couldn't be much higher right now after his stunner against Georgia at Euro 2024, but Guler is more than just a one-trick pony.

Despite having his season halted by injury he managed to score six times from just ten appearances (four starts). The caveat is that they came in an end-of-season run in which Real were already champions and steamrolling teams for fun, but his development was eye-catching nonetheless.

Madrid understandably aren't looking to let Guler go and any offers for the Turkey international will have to be enormous. He is only valued by Transfermarkt at £25million but that is likely to rise massively, and quickly. CIES Football Observatory, for example, have him at a more favourable £53million.

For Arsenal it is tough to get him into the side but by playing effectively two No.10s with Guler and Odegaard, there is a spot for him. Guler would be able to rotate in and out as he picks up the pace of English football, providing more cover for Havertz. Guler can also play on the right.

Martin Odegaard

Not loads has to be said about Odegaard. He is simply really good and makes things tick. He plays whenever fit but with more high-quality options added - Guler, for one - there would be ample cover again during a long season.

Gabriel Martinelli

The left side is a tougher one to call. Trossard certainly has a shout, but if Martinelli can find the form and fitness of 2022/23 then he is undoubtedly the best option here. Arsenal don't need to worry too much about adding more depth in this spot. Jesus could be an auxiliary deputy if needed, Guler has also played on the left before.

Viktor Gyokeres

Okay, so this leaves out some pretty big names. But the whole point is Arsenal are looking for a new striker. Gyokeres - valued at around £85m - is someone they clearly admire, and with the talent around him, this may well just work.

Although it looks attack-heavy on paper (because it is), there is the same amount of naturally forward-thinking players as Arteta used at times with Havertz coming from deep and a striker in the same team. Odegaard and Saka have also demonstrated just how good they can be at winning the ball back quickly so as not to leave their teammates short in defence.

Declan Rice, as always, will be there to mop up the danger and cover the ground behind everyone. With each of the vertical channels filled and plenty of talent also on the bench in this hypothetical scenario, Arsenal's stacked team would be quite the force.