Ah, that pesky forward signing. Where are you? That’s the cry from Arsenal supporters the world over right now.
Indeed, with just five days left of the transfer window, the Gunners are no closer to bolstering their attack with the addition of an elite player.
Sure, Christos Tzolis has arrived from Club Brugge and has impressed many, but he is not the world-class arrival those at the Emirates were dreaming of.
Julian Alvarez is on their radar and would be a sensational pick up if a deal can be agreed. That, however, will be easier said than done with the player holding out for a move to Barcelona.
How Julian Alvarez compares to Kai Havertz
Since signing from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, Kai Havertz’s importance to Arsenal has only increased.
Arriving as a midfielder, it was not long before Mikel Arteta entrustred him to lead the line. He has not looked back since, even if injury has threatened to derail his time at the Emirates.
Viktor Gyokeres arrived a year ago and went on to score 21 times, further threatening the German’s future. Havertz spent time on the treatment table again but Arteta gave him the ultimate vote of confidence at the closing stage of the season.
He started against Manchester City at the Etihad and also started the Carabao Cup final and Champions League final.
Havertz has also started the Community Shield and the Premier League opener with Leeds this season, scoring in both. He is the preferred choice at the minute but he is not the elite goalscorer Arsenal need to take them to the next level. Alvarez, on the other hand, is.
|
Havertz vs Alvarez: 25/26 league stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Havertz |
Alvarez |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.31 |
0.51 |
|
Shots |
2.78 |
3.34 |
|
Open play expected assists |
0.10 |
0.20 |
|
Open play big chances created |
0.31 |
0.29 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
0.62 |
1.60 |
|
Productive dribbles |
0.00 |
0.65 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0.46 |
1.74 |
|
Progressive carries |
1.08 |
2.54 |
|
Progressive passes |
0.93 |
2.18 |
|
Aerial duels won |
2.62 |
0.44 |
For years now, Arsenal’s number 29 has been the forward to bring everything together. He makes the ball stick, he creates selflessly for others and he knows where the back of the net is.
Alvarez would bring that and more. He’s not just a goalscorer – someone who scored as many as 29 goals in 2024/25 – but he brings others into play mighty efficiently.
He’s got the creative skillset to thrive in this Arsenal team and he’s got the carrying ability to drag the side up the pitch. That’s an area where Havertz and Gyokeres struggle in.
It’s a shame for Arteta and Co that a deal looks unlikely. The Argentine hopes to sign for Barcelona, meaning the Premier League champions must ensure there are other irons in the fire.
Arsenal’s dream Julian Alvarez alternative
For Arteta, the World Cup winner has been noted as his dream target. When you look at the data, that is no surprise.
He would elevate the Arsenal team to a position where they could go on to win the Champions League. Yet, Alvarez has not been too intent on moving back to England.
Who could they sign instead? Well, Juventus and Canada striker Jonathan David has been floated as an alternative in recent days.
Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen is another high-class option they could explore. Reports a few weeks ago suggested that Andrea Berta had discussed the Nigerian’s future during a meeting about Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri but nothing has developed beyond that.
Well, according to the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones, Osimhen is still on Arsenal’s radar as we reach the final throes of the transfer window.
As Nigeria midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo once put it, the Gala star is widely regarded as “one of the best strikers in the world”. Like Alvarez, he has been performing at an extremely high level for a number of years now.
Osimhen may not knit things together as efficiently as Alvarez but he’s a ruthless centre-forward, a physical striker capable of crashing past opponents and scoring goals aplenty. In fact, over the last five years, it is the former Napoli attacker who is the more prolific.
|
Osimhen vs Alvarez goals per season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Osimhen |
Alvarez |
|
2021/22 |
18 |
18 |
|
2022/23 |
31 |
17 |
|
2023/24 |
17 |
19 |
|
2024/25 |
37 |
29 |
|
2025/26 |
22 |
20 |
|
2026/27 |
4 |
0 |
|
Total |
129 |
103 |
Based on the numbers above, it is not much of a surprise to see that Nigerian hero Jay-Jay Okocha previously suggested that “Osimhen is in the same bracket as Mbappe, Haaland and Kane.”
If it is goals Arsenal are looking for there are very few, if any better strikers on the market right now than the 27-year-old powerhouse.
He is now in the prime of his career, has title-winning experience and is clear of Alvarez in terms of his finishing ability. Sure, it was in the Turkish Super Lig last term, but Osimhen topped the charts for expected goals per 90 minutes with as many as 0.88 while he also had the third-highest shots per 90 in the division with a whopping 5.08.
Simply, the Galatasaray superstar is always in the right place at the right time and with the level of creativity in Arsenal’s squad from the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Tzolis, it’s a mouthwatering thought to imagine what Osimhen could do in Arsenal colours.
