Why £130m star is now Arsenal’s “dream target”

For Arsenal, they will have to lick their wounds quickly and get back on the horse.

Missing out on Morgan Rogers is a major blow. Chelsea have pulled off quite the coup to agree a £117m fee and beat the Premier League champions to his signature.

However, the Gunners must not let this define them. There is still plenty of time to get new recruits through the door. In fact, there are four weeks until their campaign kicks off with an assignment against newly promoted Coventry City.

If Arsenal are still fighting for new signings by that point, then is the time to worry. They simply have to bolster their attacking line, if not for Mikel Arteta’s sake, then for Bukayo Saka‘s. The wide man looks exhausted.

Why Bukayo Saka’s situation at Arsenal is worrying

Arsenal’s starboy. Where on earth would Arteta be without him? No player has made more appearances (292), scored more goals (78) or assisted more regularly (77) than the club’s number seven since the Spaniard became manager. He’s absolutely vital.

However, the last two seasons, despite the club’s Premier League title win, has been a difficult one for Saka.

In 2024/25, he missed a large chunk of the campaign due to a torn hamstring and he has arguably not been the same since. The England man looks to have lost some of his explosiveness and while his decision making is a class apart, his performances have waned.

Saka also spent little periods out with injury in 2025/26 and has been carrying an achilles problem that has restricted his availability and the amount of minutes he can play.

Towards the back end of last term, the 24-year-old played 90 minutes in just one of Arsenal’s last five Premier League matches. He’s been managed so carefully and that cautious treatment continued at the World Cup.

After scoring a hat-trick in the bronze medal game with France, the winger exclaimed that he was fit. There was a beaming smile as he said those words to the BBC.

Yet, deep down, there would have been a frustration about his lack of involvement in North America. Worringly, the wide man only started three games; that clash with France, and the games with Panama and Mexico.

Can you imagine if he was fully up to speed? How different England’s tournament might have been. The fact he didn’t see a single minute in the semi-final against Argentina was made all the more ludicrous by the way he played against the French last Saturday.

For Saka, a few weeks worth of rest will do him the world of good. However, the chances are that he won’t be fit enough to start that first game with Coventry. That is a big worry. Attacking additions are a must.

Saka will love him: Why £130m man has to be signed

Saka has been carrying this Arsenal forward line for so many years and now is the time to do something about that. Missing out on Rogers is a huge blow. He was the perfect sort of player to take the pressure off his England colleague.

Alas, they are looking elsewhere with the likes of Bradley Barcola and Yan Diomande touted as alternatives. Strikers are also being looked at. He looks unattainable this summer but Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is high in their thinking, as too is Julian Alvarez.

The Argentine couldn’t be more perfect for the Gunners if he tried and could be just the man not just to relinquish the pressure on Saka, but give him some additional help in the final third.

Last term, it was safe to say that the Three Lions star did not enjoy the best of playing relationships with the more sluggish and one dimensional Viktor Gyokeres.

The tide looked to have turned towards the end of the season when they combined for two goals against Fulham in a 3-0 win. That aside, however, it is difficult to remember too many occasions when they linked up together. Gyokeres ranked among the worst 19% of centre-forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for his expected threat in the build-up phases of play. That rather says it all.

Alvarez, therefore, would be the perfect striker. The trouble is that his situation, like Kroupi’s is a difficult one. Real Madrid have seen a £130m bid rejected and Atletico Madrid do not want to sell, let alone to another Spanish side.

Still, according to David Ornstein, who was speaking on The Athletic FC podcast this week, he is still a leading target. Ornstein said: “We need to see what’s going on with Julian Alvarez. He is the dream target for Mikel Arteta. He wants to go to Barcelona but the word from Madrid is that they are keeping him. If there is an opening of the door I am sure Arsenal will try to walk through it.”

If a deal can be sewn up, this would be one of the best pieces of business Arsenal have done in years. After all, unlike Gyokeres, Alvarez is far more versatile, he’s far more dynamic, he’s far more fluid and well-rounded than the Swede.

Since joining Atleti from Manchester City, he has scored 49 goals in 106 matches. For Saka, finding a striker like that would be a dream. Right now, he can only imagine the thought of linking up with such a multi-faceted striker.

Alvarez ranks among the finest 9% of positionally similar players on the continent for expected threat in the build up and he’s one of the best strikers in Europe for passing and linking the ball, sitting in the best 5% for progressive passes per 90 minutes.

That was evident largely during his time at City where he played as a second striker behind the great Erling Haaland. He is a dream for any attacking player he plays alongside, registering 13 assists during his last season at the Etihad.

For so long, Saka has needed someone to take the burden of attacking play from his shoulders at Arsenal. He’s also been craving that elite centre-forward, someone who would really relish his chance creation. Therefore, the two of them feel like a match made in heaven.