Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta are now clashing over the Gunners’ top target for a key area of the squad, with both men wanting different players.
Arsenal tipped for crucial transfer decision this summer
The north Londoners lost out on a place in the Champions League final to PSG, despite battering 15-time European champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, and fell miles behind Liverpool in this year’s Premier League title race.
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The Gunners are seen as favourites.
Injuries and a lack of potency in the final third took their toll on an Arsenal side, with Arteta’s men drawing more games than any other Premier League side in the top 12 so far (14), which highlights their serious issue when it comes to finishing teams off.
Race for Champions League qualification with 2 games remaining
Points
2. Arsenal
68
3. Newcastle United
66
4. Man City
65
5. Chelsea
63
6. Aston Villa
63
7. Nottingham Forest
62
Only Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea have created more big chances than Arsenal this season, as per official stats from the Premier League, but their shortage of wins in comparison to Arne Slot’s side in particular strongly indicates a struggle to fully capitalise on these opportunities.
As such, critics have pinpointed the absence of a prolific number nine as the main cause of this.
Mikel Merino has been forced to deputise as an emergency striker for much of the campaign, following Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz’s serious long-term injuries, with Berta prioritising the signing of a centre-forward for Arsenal this summer to help provide more potency in the final third.
“Arsenal have got a bit of a problem,” said former Premier League scout Mick Brown to Football Insider recently.
“Arteta has to decide what type of centre-forward it is that he wants to lead the line. And it’s a huge decision for him because it’s one they have to get right. If you’re a team that, for the majority of the time, has the ball and you’re playing in the opponents’ half, you’re playing in a congested area.
“So are they looking for somebody who has a bit of physical presence who can bully defenders, get on the end of crosses and you can bounce things off him? Or do they want a clever, ball-playing type who will drop in to link play with the likes of Odegaard?
“The names that are being spoken about seem to be a bit all over the place – they have to make a decision about the type of forward they want.”
Arteta and Berta in Arsenal disagreement over signing Sesko or Gyokeres
According to reports from Portugal this week, specifically A Bola, Arsenal are making significant progress on a move for Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, who’s bagged 52 goals over another prolific campaign in the Primeira Liga.
Meanwhile, as per other media sources, RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko remains in the picture as a target following his own career-best season in the Bundesliga.
The prolific duo are both expected to depart their clubs for under £70 million, with Sesko’s release clause currently standing at around £62 million and “machine” Gyokeres commanding a price tag of £63 million.
Either would be a stellar option, going by their excellent campaigns abroad, but there appears to be an ongoing debate over who Arsenal should try and sign behind-the-scenes at N5.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, writing via his Substack, Arteta and Berta are in an Arsenal disagreement over whether they should sign Sesko or Gyokeres.
Arteta personally wants the former at Arsenal next season, while Berta actually prefers they go for the latter.
“Mikel Arteta wants Sesko at Arsenal, but Andrea Berta prefers them to go for Viktor Gyokeres,” wrote Phillips.
“So there is a disagreement there at the moment.”
With both men heavily linked, this is a very intriguing aspect of Arsenal’s search for a new forward, as it appears Berta and Arteta have different ideas on how to improve the squad.
