Arsenal could seal their next Van Persie in £87m star with “insane” finishing skills - opinion

Arsenal have been an intriguing team to watch so far this season, as despite not starting the campaign at the same frenetic pace that they did last year, after 15 games, they once again find themselves atop the Premier League, with a two-point cushion to Liverpool in second place.

While they have yet to be quite as free-flowing as last year, the Gunners are certainly more defensively solid and can boast one of the best defences in the league.

One thing Mikel Arteta's men have carried over from last year, however, is their never-say-die attitude, which was on full show against Luton Town as Declan Rice headed home the winner with seconds left to go.

For as impressive as the north Londoners have been, though, they will need to start scoring more goals if they are to win the league.

arsenal-transfer-arsene-wenger-robin-van-persie-

So fans should be excited with the news that they are currently linked with one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe, and a man that could replicate Robin van Persie: Santiago Gimenez.

Arsenal transfer news - Santiago Gimenez

According to the French publication L'equipe, Arsenal are one of several clubs linked to the prolific Feyenoord striker for a potential transfer in 2024.

The Mexican marksman has been tearing it up in the Netherlands for Feyenoord this season and has caught the eye of the Gunners thanks to his ludicrous scoring record.

In all competitions this season, the 22-year-old has scored 21 goals in 23 appearances, and over his entire spell with the Rotterdam outfit, he has scored 43 goals in 64 appearances.

santiago-gimenez-feyenoord-premier-leagueUnsurprisingly, the "insane" finisher, as described by U23 Scout Antonio Mango, is not going to come cheap, with 90min reporting that it will take an offer in excess of the Eredivisie transfer record, which stands at £87m - Antony's transfer to Manchester United.

It would require an enormous investment from the Gunners, but it looks like it would be worth it, and hey, the last striker to make the move from Feyenoord to Arsenal did pretty well: Van Persie.

Santiago Gimenez could replicate Robin van Persie at Arsenal

Despite the bevvy of great strikers who have represented Arsenal in the past, Van Persie is undoubtedly one of the most talented in the last 15 years. While the relationship ended on a sour note, nobody can deny that when he was firing, there wasn't a striker more deadly than him in all of England.

With Gimenez, the Gunners have the opportunity to repeat that magic, and with how much better the overall team is nowadays, there is no reason why they couldn't keep hold of him for as long as they see fit.

The two strikers have a couple of things in common: their prolific left foot and unreal goal records for Feyenoord, although the "Mexican Machine", as described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, actually has a better goal-to-game ratio than the legendary Dutchman.

Santiago Gimenez vs Robin van Persie Feyenoord record

Stat

Gimenez

van Persie

Matches

64

122

Goals

43

46

Assists

6

16

Goals per Game

0.67

0.37

Goal Involvements per Game

0.76

0.50

All Stats via Transfermarkt

There is, of course, a risk involved when signing prolific young strikers from the Netherlands. Still, the Buenos Aires-born marksman looks to be the real deal, and with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus around him, why couldn't he go one better than van Persie in north London and be responsible for Arsenal winning the league.Arsenal could seal their next Van Persie in £87m star with “insane” finishing skills - opinion