Forget goalscoring, Andrea Berta’s three Arsenal striker targets have one thing in common and it’s no fluke

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Andrea Berta has a clear task to tend to during the summer transfer window at Arsenal.

Last summer, Arsenal winning the league hinged on signing a striker. 

Former sporting director Edu Gaspar did not deliver a number nine, and to no surprise, the Gunners finished second in the Premier League table for a third consecutive year. 

As Premier League clubs get to work in the 2025 summer transfer window to bolster their squads, Berta has no time to waste to deliver Mikel Arteta the striker he so desperately wants. 

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Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Ollie Watkins have one thing in common

There are 12 names on Berta’s attacking transfer list, but already, it’s understood that two strikers are being discussed in depth at Arsenal. 

Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are being assessed as possible targets this summer, with both players sharing a much-desired goalscoring trait. 

The pair, who play in the Bundesliga and Liga Portugal respectively, aren’t the only number nines that Arsenal are eyeing, as Ollie Watkins remains on the wishlist after a deal never prevailed in January. 

All three players have shown that they’re capable of acting as a reliable source of goals, but that’s not the only trait they share.

After Arsenal’s abysmal injury record over the 2024/25 campaign, it’s unsurprising to learn that Arteta and Berta are eyeing transfers for strikers with a brief injury history. 

Gyokeres, Watkins and Sesko have missed a combined 173 days of football in their careers, which is fewer than the number of days Gabriel Jesus has lost since joining Arsenal in 2022. 

The trio have all suffered only three injuries each in their playing careers, which for Watkins at 29 and Gyokeres at 27 is incredibly impressive.

It’s no fluke that the Gunners are considering a move for at least one of the trio in the summer on the back of a campaign that was decimated by key absences.

How Arsenal’s injuries ranked compared to other Premier League clubs in 2024/25

Though the season has ended, the Gunners’ struggles with injuries haven’t stopped, as Jurrien Timber recently underwent surgery. 

As well as the Dutchman, Gabriel Magalhaes will miss the start of next season, as will Gabriel Jesus, who has stepped up his recovery. 

Arteta credited key absences as part of the reason for Arsenal’s ultimately underwhelming season, but just how bad did the North Londoners have it?

Pretty bad is the answer, as data retrieved by The Athletic confirmed.

Only three clubs suffered more from injury than Arsenal, as Brighton, Tottenham, and Ipswich also had a continually hefty list of absentees.

Injuries can’t be prevented, but they can be prepared for, and after last season, Arsenal will know that naivety in the transfer market could see their run without silverware drag on.

The three striker targets linked to Arsenal have an almost clean slate on the injury front, which isn’t by chance.