£86m star is even better than Julian Alvarez after leaving Arsenal

One year ago, Viktor Gyokeres was signing for Arsenal in a £55m deal. This was it. This was the signing that was supposed to carry the Gunners to new heights.

Mikel Arteta‘s side had lacked a potent centre-forward since the days of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and had ended the 2024/25 season with Mikel Merino as the focal point of the attack.

In Gyokeres, they had signed one of Europe’s most feared strikers. During his final term with Sporting, he netted a ridiculous 54 goals in 52 games.

The Swede was never going to replicate that sort of figure in the Premier League and there’s no shame in that. He did finish 2025/26 with 21 strikes to his name, ending it as Arsenal’s top scorer in all competitions. Yet, the jury remains out on his overall play and the north Londoners are exploring their options in the market as a result.

Julian Alvarez has been identified as the leading target.

Why Alvarez is Arsenal’s perfect striker

Alvarez just wants to leave Atletico Madrid. Whether or not he’ll come to Arsenal, however, is anyone’s guess.

While Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Elliot Anderson dominate the headlines on English shores, Alvarez is dominating them over in Spain.

Why? Well, he’s at the centre of an almighty transfer tussle. Real Madrid lodged a £130m bid to sign the Argentine but had that laughed off by Atleti who took aim at their rivals in a series of bizarre social media posts.

His dream is to sign for Barcelona but they have not been forthcoming with an offer. Perhaps they’d have been better off pumping the Anthony Gordon money into this deal instead?

Alas, if he does not head to the Nou Camp then he could join the Gunners. It was revealed last week that he would choose Arsenal if a move to another Spanish side is not sanctioned.

So, what’s all the fuss about? Well, this is a player who would represent a sizable upgrade on the aformentioned Gyokeres, not just in the goals department but also in general play. In that regard, Alvarez is one of the best around.

To clarify, Arsenal’s number 14 did actually score one more last season but back in 2024/25 and at a higher level than the Swede might we add, Alvarez bagged 29 goals for Atleti.

A brilliant goalscorer, the World Cup winner would arrive with the ability to connect Arsenal’s frontline a lot more efficiently.

Indeed, he is a lot more comfortable with the ball at his feet and linking play. Alvarez ranks among the top 9% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues this season for expected threat in the build-up phases of play. Gyokeres ranks among the worst 19%.

Furthermore, the former Manchester City man is among the best 20% for successful dribbles while Arsenal’s leading marksman sits in the worst 10%. This is a far more dynamic player Arteta would be getting.

However, what if they held onto a player now known as the world’s best striker?

When Arsenal lost a better striker than Alvarez

It’s safe to say that when it comes to academy football, you don’t always get it right. No one is Nostradamus, it’s hard to predict the future.

Declan Rice was once let go by Chelsea, David Beckham was once part of Tottenham’s parish and Eberechi Eze was at Hale End before being let go and finally being brought back in a big £67m transfer.

Yet, the biggest mistake of them all will no doubt be Harry Kane. You’ve all seen the photo of him as a boy in an Arsenal shirt and once upon a time, he was part of the youth setup.

So, what went wrong and why did Arsenal let him go? Well, recalling the events of 2002 when he was let go, Liam Brady once said in an interview: “He was a bit chubby, he wasn’t very athletic but we made a mistake.”

Kane has a slightly different version of events but did reference his body type for being a key reason. “It’s hard to tell at that age what the player is going to turn into,” the forward said. “I was only small at that age. I was small for my age. I was a late developer.”

Kane never truly exploded onto the scene as a teenager but how Arsenal must regret their decision now. He is a Tottenham Hotspur legend, the scorer of 213 Premier League goals and England’s all-time record goalscorer with 84 strikes in a whopping 118 caps.

A true icon of the game, Kane now appears to be getting better and better. At the World Cup, he has moved onto 13 goals in the competition’s history, surpassing the great Pele’s record in the process.

That is arguably no surprise when you consider his performances for Bayern Munich after moving for £86m. That fee now looks like a bargain considering he has 146 goals in 147 appearances for the German giants.

Over the last year, in particular, he has been rampant. Far and away the best striker in the world right now, even better than the aformentioned Alvarez, some even think he is “the best player in the world”, including the The iPaper’s Daniel Storey. It’s hard to dispute that claim; he looks like the current frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or based on individual performances.

What might have been had he stayed at Arsenal? Those who were making the decisions back then must be wondering what if.