In just a few weeks, Arsenal will start the 2025/26 Premier League marketing campaign, and their eyes shall be riveted on the prize.
Having fallen brief in every of the previous three seasons, the Gunners know that it is a large one, with Mikel Arteta’s aspect having gone 5 years with out silverware.
However the enhancements have been huge, these latest years. An absence of trophies apart, this has been an unbelievable resurgence for a large who had been solid to the wayside earlier than.
There is a sturdy case for Arsenal’s unlucky harm document throughout the 2024/25 time period to have impeded them of their pursuit of glory, however Arteta has revised the problems and made some impactful summer time signings to take his squad to the following stage.
And the months of labor have now been topped by the addition of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.
Why Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres
Technically, Gyokeres is not but an official Arsenal participant, however the centre-forward has been the topic of an agreed £64m deal that can see him stand as Arteta’s chief goal-getter over the approaching years.
The Sweden worldwide scored 97 objectives and added 28 assists throughout 102 matches for Sporting, successful the Liga Portugal in each of his seasons on the membership.
Aged 27, he is within the prime of his profession, described by former Coventry Metropolis coach Adi Viveash as being a “bodily machine”. He has what it takes to change into one of many main Premier League strikers of his period, rivalling one of the best over the approaching years.
Most Objectives Throughout Europe’s High Ten Leagues (24/25) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
# | Participant | Apps | Objectives |
1) | Viktor Gyokeres | 33 | 39 |
2) | Kylian Mbappe | 34 | 31 |
3) | Mohamed Salah | 38 | 29 |
4) | Robert Lewandowski | 34 | 27 |
5) | Victor Osimhen | 30 | 26 |
5= | Harry Kane | 31 | 26 |
Information by way of Transfermarkt | |||
There isn’t any query that Gyokeres shall be a implausible signing for Arsenal, however there stays that slight uncertainty, for he has but to ply his commerce within the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Arsenal are lining up one other star who might show to be a fair higher signing – and that is to not Gyokeres’ discredit.
Arsenal agree price for PL star
Based on Soccer Transfers, Arsenal are assured that they’ll full the signing of Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze this summer time, having agreed to pay his £68m launch clause by a sequence of manageable instalments.
Eze scored the successful purpose as Palace gained the FA Cup ultimate towards Manchester Metropolis final season, and has been anticipated to go away for a brand new problem, having already agreed private phrases with the Gunners.
The £100k-per-week expertise has additionally attracted curiosity from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, however it’s Arteta’s aspect who’re set to take pleasure in his qualities subsequent season and past, ought to the finer particulars of the switch undergo and not using a hitch.
What Eberechi Eze would deliver to Arsenal
Like Gyokeres, Eze is 27, and would supply the Gunners with maturity and completeness of growth. The Three Lions star’s 2024/25 season proved to the world that he has what it takes to change into a star member of considered one of Europe’s elite outfits.
Pundit Rio Ferdinand hailed his “distinctive” type of play again in March, happening to say he might “play for one of many prime groups” on this planet.
A dribble-happy attacking midfielder, Eze’s low centre of gravity, immense core energy and expert passing recreation make him a tough opponent certainly, with so many alternative methods to harm his opponents.
Usually used as a left-sided midfielder by Oliver Glasner over the previous 18 months, Eze accomplished 82% of his passes within the Premier League final time period, as per Sofascore, whereas averaging two dribbles, 1.7 key passes and 4.8 profitable duels per recreation, underscoring his roundedness.
Eberechi Eze – Crystal Palace Profession by Place | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Place | Apps | Objectives | Assists |
Attacking midfield | 74 | 25 | 11 |
Left winger | 52 | 9 | 7 |
Central midfield | 25 | 6 | 3 |
Proper winger | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Information by way of Transfermarkt | |||
His skill to shift, seamlessly, between the left flank and a extra central attacking place bespeaks his sharpness and intelligence. Eze, on this regard, might plug two holes for Arteta, with each Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli linked with strikes away this summer time.
Whereas Eze has change into stronger over the previous few years, he stays a strong bodily profile who might dynamise the membership’s general attacking build-up.
As per FBref, he ranked final season among the many prime 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers throughout Europe for shot-creating actions, the highest 10% for profitable take-ons and the highest 14% for ball recoveries per 90.
A profitable take-on is recorded when a participant beats their opponent by straight carrying the ball previous them whereas retaining possession.
There isn’t any query that Gyokeres would deliver to Arsenal a newfound diploma of goalscoring high quality, however there’s additionally little question that Eze has a talent set so spectacular that he might come to nail down a beginning berth on the left flank and emerge as considered one of Arteta’s most trusted lieutenants.
Will Arsenal’s soon-to-be-sealed striker hit the bottom working in England’s prime flight? Will he handle to retain that very same stage of harmful brilliance in more durable circumstances, towards steelier defenders?
These are the questions, and we will quickly discover out. In any case, Eze has constructed himself up over quite a few years in Europe’s highest-quality division, and, after all, with Gyokeres as a goal man within the center, each might benefit from the fruits of one another’s labours.
In Gyokeres, Arsenal will safe the centre-forward they’ve desired over the previous a number of years. Nevertheless, Eze would possibly show to be the higher signing, all issues thought of.
His greater price displays that, and so does the consistency for Palace within the Premier League over the previous 5 years, even main analyst Ben Mattinson to name him a “celebrity”.
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Arsenal have an even bigger expertise than the entire high-profile names floating about attributable to this summer time’s switch window.
