It wouldn’t be over the top to suggest that next season is Mikel Arteta’s most important since taking charge of Arsenal in 2019.
The Spaniard has helped to utterly transform the club since he was appointed, but after three second-placed Premier League finishes in a row, the expectation from many is that he will finally lead the team to glory next year.
Fortunately, the board and sporting director Andrea Berta seem intent on giving him the tools to do so this summer, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard already through the door, and a deal for Viktor Gyokeres in the works.
Furthermore, the links to Eberechi Eze continue to heat up, and now it looks like the Gunners are looking at someone who’d be the midfielder’s dream forward.
Arsenal target Eze’s perfect forward
Eze has long been a player on Arsenal’s radar, as stories linking him with a return to the club that released him as a child started to pop up as far back as last summer.
However, it’s really been in the last couple of weeks that the reports have become far more serious.
It now looks like the 27-year-old, who has a £68m release clause in his contract, has agreed personal terms with the Gunners and that talks between the two clubs are ongoing.
The Englishman would be an expensive but exciting addition to Arteta’s side, and now it looks like Berta and co are interested in adding another attacker who’d be his perfect forward: Ademola Lookman.
Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in the Atalanta star this summer.
Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Napoli are all keen on the Nigerian international.
On top of having to deal with the competition, the Premier League runners-up will have to stump up a fee of around £50m for the former Everton ace.
It’s a lot of money to spend on another attacking player, but Lookman has been incredible for several years now, and would be a dream forward signing for Eze.
Why Lookman would be a dream forward for Eze
There are several reasons why Lookman could end up being a dream teammate for Eze at Arsenal, but the first and most crucial is unsurprisingly related to his output.
While the former Everton and Fulham ace struggled to show how good he really was during his time in England, he has had no such trouble since making his way to Italy.
Across his 118 games for the Bergamo outfit, totalling 7538 minutes, the “world-class” attacker has scored 52 goals and provided 25 assists.
|
Lookman’s recent form |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
22/23 |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|
Appearances |
33 |
45 |
40 |
|
Minutes |
1858′ |
2809′ |
2871′ |
|
Goals |
15 |
17 |
20 |
|
Assists |
8 |
10 |
7 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.69 |
0.60 |
0.67 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvement |
80.78′ |
104.03′ |
106.33 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|||
In other words, the 29-capped international has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes since joining the Serie A side.
Just imagine the numbers the Palace ace could produce playing behind or alongside someone as dangerous as the Wandsworth-born star.
That brings us to the second reason the former RB Leipzig ace would be a great teammate: his positional versatility.
Due to the 27-year-old’s ability to play across the entire frontline, there will be plenty of minutes available to him at the Emirates next season, and as such, he’d have plenty of time to form a real connection with Eze and learn his game.
Moreover, he’s also able to play in attacking midfield and could therefore offer cover for the Englishman and make sure he is not overplayed.
Finally, Lookman has also proven to be a big game player, someone who can get his team over the line all by himself and is totally unfazed by the big occasion.
You only need to look at the 2024 Europa League final to see this, as he scored a hat-trick and won the final for Atlanta despite them being the clear underdogs.
With one of Eze’s motivations for joining the Gunners likely being the chance to win the biggest competitions, this is especially important.
Ultimately, Arteta and Co need to improve Arsenal’s attacking options ahead of next season, and signing both the Palace and Atalanta stars would be an excellent way to do that.
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