Arsenal are under the impression that a high-wage striker would be Mikel Arteta’s “ideal” next signing, and one who could “raise the team’s level”, as the Gunners look to solve their ongoing issues with scoring from open play.
Arsenal take on Monaco in the Champions League after Fulham draw
Arteta is looking for his side to bounce straight back to form after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage, with Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco awaiting them in the Champions League this evening.
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Arsenal haven’t scored a single goal from open play since their 5-2 win over West Ham at the London Stadium in late November, and Arteta will also be extremely keen for that barren run to end against the French side in north London.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Everton (home) |
December 14 |
|
Crystal Palace (away) |
December 21 |
|
Ipswich Town (home) |
December 27 |
|
Brentford (away) |
January 1 |
|
Brighton (away) |
January 4 |
The Gunners are certain to be without Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who are both nursing long-term injuries, but Arsenal have numerous other potential absentees to deal with – Jurrien Timber, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Magalhaes, Thomas Partey and Riccardo Calafiori all injury doubts ahead of Monaco (Premier Injuries).
“It is what it is,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s injury problems in his pre-Monaco press conference.
“At the end, if we have to accept the challenge and its opportunities for other players to do that. In the ideal scenario, we have to be in charge to make those decisions because it’s forcing us to make it for the wrong reasons, but as well, we need to accept the reality and move forwards.
“I’m really happy with the way that we are playing, and the good thing is that it’s not conditioning the team in such a way that we have to become a different team. So, I’m very pleased with that, the way the team is adapting, the way players are making the effort to play in different positions and hopefully the ideal situation will come up very soon and we can do what we want.”
Injuries have been a reoccurring theme of their season so far, as has their inability to score from open play in recent weeks.
The mis-firing Gabriel Jesus, who’s scored just once in all competitions this term, is proving unreliable in front of goal – leading to Arsenal targeting a new centre-forward in 2025.
Arsenal believe Dusan Vlahovic is the “ideal” striker for Mikel Arteta
According to Italian news outlet Tuttosport, Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is on the club’s radar as a potential solution to give them more potency in the number nine area.
The £352,000-per-week Serbian’s deal expires in 2026, but that apparently won’t stop Juve from demanding around £69 million for his services, considering he’s bagged nine goals in 17 appearances across all competitions so far.
For Arteta’s part, Arsenal believe that Vlahovic is the “ideal” striker signing to “raise the team’s level”, but it is unclear whether they’d be willing or able to pay nearly £70 million for a centre-forward who is out of contract in under two years.
They also face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Man United, who are both on the lookout for a prolific new option up top.
