Arsenal have already sold their own Julian Alvarez for just £4m

Did Andrea Berta get his first year at Arsenal right? Well, if we’re judging things by trophies, the answer is a resounding yes.

While he had little to do with performances on the pitch, some of his recruitment undoubtedly helped the Gunners to lift their first Premier League title in 22 years.

As a result, it’s hard to critique too much of what happened a year ago. That being said, the jury should still be out on a few players, in particular.

One of them is Viktor Gyokeres, who despite ending the campaign as Arsenal’s top scorer on 21 goals, could be forced out of a leading spot in the team this summer.

The likes of Julian Alvarez and Eli Junior Kroupi are both being touted as potential replacements just a year into his north london adventure.

Why Arsenal could replace Viktor Gyokeres with Julian Alvarez

When Gyokeres signed on the dotted line a year ago, it led to huge excitment. While very few expected him to repliate his 54 goal season of 2024/25 at Sporting, there was an expectation that he would be the man to carry Arsenal to glory.

Well, the big Swede didn’t necessarily carry them to glory but he played a vital hand in the success the team enjoyed during his debut year in London.

Gyokeres was brought in to score goals and that’s what he did. 21 of them found the back of the net and he proved himself to be one of the most efficient centre-forwards in the English top-flight. With a converstion rate of 21.2, only five strikers were better in that regard and none of them were your Erling Haalands, Alexander Isaks or Joao Pedros.

Despite that, there is a but and that’s that the former Coventry City forward’s overall play simply is not up to scratch. He regularly loses the ball, struggles with his hold up play and encounters issues when it comes to linking with teammates.

Last term, his lack of aerial ability ranked him among the worst 15% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues, indicating he struggles to hold the ball up. The big arrival of 2025 also ranked among the worst 1% of positionally similar players for dribbling and among the worst 19% for expected threat in the build-up phases of play.

It explains why Arsenal are interested in signing Alvarez this summer. Not only is he a brilliant goalscorer, bagging 49 goals for Atletico Madrid since joining two years ago but he’s also excellent at connecting play. Compartively, the Argentine ranks among the best 18% for dribbling and in the best 9% for expected threat in the build-up.

Alvarez is a constant threat in plenty of phases of play but will the Gunners be able to get their hands on him? His dream move is Barcelona and he’s thought to be worth north of £130m.

As a result, perhaps there will be a tinge of regret about what Mikel Arteta and Co once had in Hale End?

Arsenal sold their own Alvarez for just £4m

Hale End has only become an even greater source of homegrown talent in recent years. From Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe to the likes of Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly, the production line has not just been steady but also incredibly impressive.

However, such is the success of the first team in recent years that some coming through the academy system have had to move on in search of regular opportunities elsewhere. It’s something Ethan Nwaneri is likely to have to come to terms with this summer, following in the footsteps of Folarin Balogun and Mika Biereth.

Both impressive strikers in the academy ranks, they left for pastures new and have really enjoyed their time away from the Emirates Stadium. Coincidentally, they both now play for Monaco in Ligue 1.

Balogun had a fabulous season in 2025/26, scoring 19 goals in 43 games. He also starred for USA at the World Cup, finding the net on three occasions in four outings. He has been one of the breakout stars in North America this summer.

It would appear that he and Biereth are taking it in turns with regards to their impressive seasons. While the Dane only netted five times last term, he proved himself to be “one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers” in the words of former Manchester United man Paul Parker during 2024/25.

It was throughout that campaign that the 23-year-old fired home 27 goals in 44 appearances for Monaco and Sturm Graz in Austria. For a player sold for just £4m, Arsenal must be cursing their luck that they were not able to get more bang for their buck.

Considering they won the league, Arteta won’t hold much regret about letting him go but comparisons to Alvarez are interesting. Unlike Gyokeres, Biereth is a player capable of linking the play.

While he isn’t much of a dribbler like the Swede, registering just 0.07 successful dribbles during his imperious 2024/25 campaign, he did rank highly for other metrics compared to Gyokeres.

As far as open play expected assists are concerned, he’s streets ahead of Arsenal’s number 14. In that regard, he’s more closely aligned with Alvarez. It’s also striking that he’s closer than Gyokeres when it comes to build-up threat too.

Admittedly, Biereth lags behind the World Cup winner in most areas but if was better, he wouldn’t be playing for Monaco. Alvarez is one of the world’s best strikers. Few can compare.

However, one thing is clear, he’s certainly more similar to the Argentine than Gyokeres is. His passing and involvement in the build-up is evidence of that.