After waiting and waiting, Arsenal finally signed a striker in the summer to bolster Mikel Arteta’s options, but it’s unclear if they recruited correctly.
Viktor Gyokeres has struggled to adapt to the Premier League, having scored only three non-penalty goals since the season began.
There’s a lot of work to do, with questions asked of Andrea Berta’s decision to sign Gyokeres and also the shortlisting of Benjamin Sesko, who is suffering the same issue.
It’s recently emerged that despite Sesko and Gyokeres being the final two players Arsenal considered in the summer, the list was longer than that, with one target being former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez.
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Julian Alvarez is battling form he’s never experienced in his career
David Ornstein confirmed that Arsenal looked at Alvarez in the summer after his stellar debut campaign at Atletico Madrid.
It was actually Berta who signed Alvarez at Atletico in 2024, a move that was a success as the Argentine scored 29 goals across all competitions in 2024/25.
This season, however, has been a different story, and ironically, since Arsenal’s interest, Alvarez has been struggling to score.
Spanish outlet COPE just relayed comments made by Spanish agent and former player, Peton.
“He [Alvarez] has never played in his life like he did at Atletico de Madrid. Never, ever,” Peton said.
“The slump of these last three months is not due to Atlético de Madrid, nor even to their coach, but to Julian Alvarez.”
Peton slammed the 25-year-old’s recent form, as he’s eight games without a goal, describing his underperformance as a ‘fundamental problem’ for his club.
“Until Atletico de Madrid recovers, until they rescue Julian Alvarez, they have a fundamental problem, which is goals, because he’s not just the one who scores goals, he’s the one who opens the door for many other goals from his teammates.”
Some fans will be thinking, only a striker linked to Arsenal could suddenly stop scoring, just as the Gunners have seen from Gyokeres, who scored 54 goals last season.
Arsenal should still be targeting Julian Alvarez
Links to Alvarez came last summer, so it’s unclear whether Arsenal’s interest could be revived in the future.
Despite his unsatisfactory form, Berta shouldn’t let that ship sail, as we’ve all seen what Alvarez can do in the Premier League.
Prove me wrong, Julian Alvarez is still a player Arsenal should sign.
Alvarez wasn’t a starter at Man City, but whenever he was called upon, he made it clear to Pep Guardiola that he could be trusted.
The World Cup winner left the Etihad with 20 Premier League goals to his name, averaging a goal every 165 minutes in his first season in the English top flight.
A player of his experience and proven quality would only improve Arteta’s options going forward, particularly as Gabriel Jesus’ contract expires next summer.
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