Arsenal want to sign “blistering” £57m star who’s like a right-footed Saka

It’s been a frustrating campaign for Arsenal so far this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side has looked brilliant at times, but injuries, suspensions, and sporadic drop-offs in form have seen them fall six points behind Liverpool atop the Premier League table.

However, while some of the Gunners’ stars haven’t been consistent enough this season, the same cannot be said of Bukayo Saka, who has taken another step forward this year, as evidenced by his sensational tally of seven goals and 11 assists in 20 appearances.

So, recent reports linking the club to another brilliant attacker who’s been compared to the young Englishman should leave fans excited.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are one of four Premier League clubs interested in Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have all recently sent scouts to watch the Nigerian dynamo in action, who the report claims is ‘open to a return to England.’

However, along with having to beat the competition, the North Londoners will have to pay a pretty penny to secure the forward’s services, with reports from earlier this year claiming Atalanta value him at around €70m, which is about £58m.

In all, it would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Lookman’s ability, it is one worth pursuing, especially with his comparisons to Saka.

Lookman’s comparisons to Saka

So, before we examine Lookman’s sensational level of output over the last few seasons, let’s look at this comparison to Saka.

It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, over the last 365 days, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for everyone, and from there, they have concluded that the Englishman is the most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Nigerian.

Now, there are some apparent similarities between the pair, namely the fact they are goalscoring and game-changing forwards for their respective teams, even if the Atalanta ace is right-footed, but to get a better understanding of how FBref reached this conclusion, we can examine the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely.

These metrics include but are not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive passes, passing accuracy, key passes, crosses into the penalty area, and aerial duels won, all per 90.

However, while his similarities to the Hale End icon are certainly encouraging, the 27-year-old’s form over the last few seasons should be reason enough for Arteta and Co to sign him up.

For example, since joining Atalanta, the incredible forward with “blistering” pace, per U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored 42 goals and provided 23 assists in just 95 appearances, which equates to an incredible average of a goal involvement every 1.46 games.

Moreover, with experience playing off the left, off the right, in midfield and up top, the Wandsworth-born phenom could replace any of the Gunners’ attacking players should their form drop off.

Ultimately, while it could be an expensive transfer to get over the line, Arsenal must do what they can to secure Lookman’s signature in 2025, as he looks like the perfect addition to their attacking options.