Arsenal given perfect Kai Havertz transfer upgrade with Mikel Arteta scouting chance

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With just over a week left until the January transfer window slams shut, the pressure is growing on Arsenal to bolster their forward line and find an upgrade on Kai Havertz.

Havertz has frustrated fans with recent performances, and as a result of the excessive minutes he’s had to play, he looks fatigued.

Gabriel Jesus is out for the season with an ACL issue, which means the Gunners have no natural cover or competition for the German.

While Leandro Trossard can be deployed down the middle, the Belgian is spending most of his time out wide due to the sparsity of options on the flanks.

Thus, the need to find someone who can usurp Havertz in the pecking order is desperate, and Arsenal are subsequently being linked with a plethora of names.

Arsenal can scout Matheus Cunha as Kai Havertz replacement

With Jesus out for some time and Havertz often misfiring, attempting to solve Arsenal’s depth and quality issues upfront by dipping into the transfer market would appear logical.

Mikel Arteta has favoured recruiting from within the Premier League in the past, and thus the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Alexander Isak and Antoine Semenyo are being linked with a switch to the Emirates.

However, Matheus Cunha is one of Arsenal’s primary targets, and the Brazilian is reportedly eager to depart the West Midlands this month.

Wolves are believed to value their talisman somewhere in the region of £60 million, which could be within the Gunners’ budget.

• READ MORE: Surprise visitor extends stay following Arsenal’s Champions League clash – an indication Mikel Arteta can expect some transfer activity

Arsenal travel to Molineux on Saturday afternoon, giving Arteta the perfect opportunity to scout Cunha and assess the player’s aptitude as a potential upgrade on Havertz.

The Old Gold’s boss Vitor Pereira claimed that the 25-year-old was distracted by the transfer links in his team’s defeat to Chelsea on Monday night, and it’ll be interesting to see if he delivers a performance that reflects that against the North Londoners.

However, it’s more likely that he’ll be fired up and looking to impress his potential future employers.

Matheus Cunha and Kai Havertz’ statistics this season

While many would automatically assume that Cunha would represent an instant improvement on Havertz, the statistics don’t necessarily reflect that belief.

Cunha has netted two more goals and two more assists than his Arsenal counterpart this season, although the underlying data suggests the Brazil international’s goal-scoring exploits may not be sustainable.

While he manages almost a shot more per game than Havertz, Cunha accumulates just 0.25 expected goals per 90 minutes.

This would indicate that, while he may be a good finisher, he’s not likely to continue to find the back of the net at the same rate that he has been.

This data will certainly provide food for thought for the Arsenal analytics department as they embark on their scouting mission on Saturday afternoon at Molineux.