Arsenal chasing £159,000 p/w Havertz upgrade who is ‘even better than Haaland’

One of the largest areas of the arsenal The team with a frustrating lack of depth is center forward. The Gunners have two main options they can rely on, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz. However, there are arguments that neither are clinical enough to lead their line six and 12 goals each respectively this season.

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, now a pundit, suggested in November. He explained that there is an “argument that you need a goalscorer, a natural finisher” to complement the existing options.

The Gunners have been linked with a player who could be the answer to their problems.

Arsenal target new striker

The player in question here is the Nigeria international striker Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old has impressed again this season and is currently on loan at Turkish club Galatasaray from Napoli.

According to a report by Football InsiderArsenal are believed to be ‘monitoring’ the striker ahead of a potential ‘box office’ move in January. They are likely to face competition for Osimhen, with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea both interested.

According to Spanish reports via Football365the £159,000 per week The Nigerian striker has a buy-out clause believed to be worth around £63million. If this is activated, it will see him leave Galatasaray midway through the season.

Why Osimhen would be a good signing

Should the Gunners bring the striker to the club in January, it would certainly see the purchase of a man capable of finding the net. The Nigerian has been on fire in 2024/25, with 12 goals in 15 games in all competitions, as well as five assists.

The 25-year-old has also been excellent for Napoli in previous seasons. In 133 games for the Serie A giants, he scored an impressive 76 goals.

His best campaign in terms of goals came in 2022/23 when Gli Azzurri lifted the Scudetto. The Nigerian scored 31 goals in 39 games to help his team win a famous title.

In fact, signing Osimhen could be an improvement on Havertz at center forward. This is not because the German is a bad player, but he is not necessarily a natural striker.

Mikel Arteta explained this last season when the former Chelsea man signed, saying this “will be used in different positions” in a Gunners shirt.

He didn’t perform badly in front of goal last season. The 25-year-old scored 13 goals and had seven assists in 37 appearances in the first line.

Certainly not a bad record, but given that he was leading the line for Arsenal, it left a lot to be desired.

Indeed, the difference between Arsenal’s number 29 and the on-loan Napoli forward is obvious. This goes for both goal numbers and statistical comparison when looking at Havertz’s Premier League stats from last season and Osimhen’s from the 2022/23 Serie A campaign.

According to Squawkathe 25-year-old forward averaged 0.9 penalty-free goals per game. Crucially, he also averaged a goal inside the box every 90 minutes, exactly the presence Arsenal have been missing. In comparison, the German striker averaged 0.5 free-kicks and 0.5 goals from inside the box per game.

The difference between the two is clear and while Havertz is a good footballer, he is not necessarily a number nine. Osimhen, however, is a fantastic goalscorer, particularly in the box, and could be the man the Gunners have been missing.

Agent Andrea D’Amico once described the 25-year-old as “the best striker in the world”, comparing him to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. He even called him “even better than Haaland”, which is high praise for Osimhen.

While £63m is a lot of money in a January window, it could be a smart investment for the Gunners. They would bring in a striker who knows where the back of the net is and could be a player to spur them on as they look to push Liverpool to the top of the Premier League.

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