The next Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be heading to Arsenal

A new season has begun, and Arsenal are set to meet Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon.

In his pre-match press conference, Arteta was coy when discussing his ambitions to lift more silverware at the helm. To set themselves in good stead to achieve that, “we must improve the squad“.

Arsenal won the Premier League last season, but they might have left something to be desired in attack. It needs fixing if the Gunners are to stave off their competitors and fight for silverware across other fronts besides.

After all, it’s been some time since Arsenal can say they’ve enjoyed a truly world-class presence at No. 9.

Arsenal centre-forwards under Mikel Arteta

Arsenal are riding the crest of a wave under Arteta’s management, but there are still issues to iron out. Up top, Viktor Gyokeres was supposed to be the Gunners’ goalscoring solution for the next few years, but in spite of his 21-goal return across all competitions, the Sweden international left too much to be desired through his overall play.

Gyokeres, 27, joined Arsenal from Sporting CP for about £64m last summer. Already, Emirates technical director Andrea Berta is searching for a successor, with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez coveted this summer.

Over the Arteta-led years, Arsenal have gone from strength to strength without an elite No. 9. Not since Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have the Londoners had strikers who have established themselves as the chief goal threat at the Emirates.

There’s no question that Arsenal have lacked a truly elite goalscorer for quite some time in the Premier League, someone who can rival the best of the best.

Aubameyang was the last to cross the 20-goal mark, but if Arteta has his way, the champions could pull off a similar deal before the end of the month.

How Arsenal can sign their new Aubameyang

When Aubameyang first arrived at the Emirates, he was no spring chicken. Arsenal signed the Gabonese forward from Borussia Dortmund for £56m in January 2018. He was 28 years old at the time.

Now, Arteta could be prepared to repeat a trick played before he took the reins. According to reports in France, the Gunners have established Victor Osimhen as a leading, concrete target before the end of the transfer window.

REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The Galatasaray striker is one of the best in the business, and Arteta and co believe that Arsenal can advance in a deal to bring him over to England. Initial discussions have already taken place with the Turkish side, but Arsenal have still yet to make a formal approach. He is reportedly valued at just £60m this summer.

Osimhen has had something of a rocky career, albeit set against the backdrop of a lot of success, but since leaving Napoli in contentious circumstances two years ago, he has scored 59 goals and provided 16 assists for Galatasaray.

Osimhen might not play in one of Europe’s top five leagues right now, but he is absolutely “one of the best centre-forwards in the world“, in the eyes of former Nigeria teammate Peter Etebo.

The 27-year-old is accomplished at the highest level. His year-in, year-out success in the Champions League emphasises the superstar shooting ability Arsenal would welcome to their fold. In that, he could develop into the club’s most convincing striker since the days of Aubameyang, with the FA Cup-winning striker still fondly remembered in north London, even after later signing for Chelsea in a failed stint.

Osimhen would bring ready-made ability to the front of Arteta’s system. Like prime Auba, he is not just a marksman, but a technically proficient option in the build-up.

In the Champions League last season, Osimhen scored seven times from ten appearances for Galatasaray, but he also completed 80% of his dribbles and won 5.3 duels on average each game.

He would bring the superstar quality that Arsenal need to finally complete their set. Having already won the Premier League under Arteta, who knows how far the Gunners could reach with such a profile at the spearhead.

How serious Arsenal would be about paying the big bucks for such a striker remains to be seen. However, Osimhen would certainly prove an upgrade on Gyokeres, and his profile, aura and experience at the highest level could see him echo that one-time deal for Aubameyang.

Who knows: he might even prove the difference-maker in a bid to win back-to-back Premier League titles for the Arsenal persuasion.