Mikel Arteta's side have come on leaps and bounds over the last few years and could boast the best defence in the division last term, but when it came to putting goals in the opposition's net, they were still behind Pep Guardiola's behemoth.
Mikel-arteta-kai-havertz
So, with the transfer window now open, it's unsurprising to see that the latest player touted for a move to the Emirates was one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe last season, and while that's great news for the fans, it could spell trouble for Kai Havertz.
Arsenal transfer news
According to reports from Portuguese publication Leonino, Arsenal have maintained their interest in Sporting CP's star striker, Viktor Gyokeres.
viktor-gyokeres-sporting-cp-premier-league
In fact, the publication claims that the Gunners are 'very close to securing the signing' and that the only thing holding the deal up are the 'financial details', which, to be honest, seem like a fairly significant aspect of any transfer.
That said, the report seems confident that this deal will go through and become Sporting's record sale, which, based on reports from earlier this year, could be up to €100m - £85m.
Viktor-Gyokeres-Arsenal-Premier-League
If Edu Gaspar and Co do have a genuine chance of bringing Gyokeres to the Emirates this summer, as the report suggests, then they should take it, as his goalscoring record could see the team finally dethrone City atop the Premier League table, although it wouldn't be great for Havertz's future in the team.
How Gyokeres compares to Havertz
If Gyokeres is to arrive at the Emirates this summer, his biggest rival for the starting striker role will likely be Havertz, as towards the end of last season, he was clearly favoured to lead the line over Gabriel Jesus by Arteta.
Unfortunately for the German, his raw output doesn't even come close to the Swede's. For example, in his 51 appearances for the Gunners last season, he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 2.4 games.
Even when looking at just the 18 matches he started as the team's striker, in which he returned an impressive eight goals and seven assists to average a goal involvementevery 1.2 games, he can't match the Sporting star's haul.
Gyokeres vs Havertz
Player
Gyokeres
Havertz
Appearances
50
51
Goals
43
14
Assists
15
7
Goal Involvements per Match
1.16
0.41
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In his 50 appearances for the Lisbon side last season, the 6 foot 2 "powerhouse", as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 43 goals and racked up 15 assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 0.86 games - talk about being a goal machine.
The comparison is just as one-sided when looking at the pair's striker-relevant underlying numbers as well.
Gyokeres vs Havertz
Stats per 90
Gyokeres
Havertz
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.78
0.47
Non-Penalty Goals
0.69
0.31
Assists
0.31
0.17
Progressive Passes
1.68
3.14
Progressive Carries
3.66
1.70
Shots
3.13
2.15
Shots on Target
1.53
0.83
Passing Accuracy
71.7%
80.8%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.66
0.60
Shot-Creating Actions
4.08
3.20
Successful Take-ons
1.96
0.50
For example, while the "incredible" nine, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, comes out second best in some metrics like passing accuracy and progressive passes, he emerges on top in practically all others, including non-penalty expected goals and assists, actual non-penalty goals and assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, goal and shot-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.
Ultimately, while Havertz was quite impressive in the latter half of last season, his attacking output is simply dwarfed by that of Gyokeres.
Martin-Odegaard-Arsenal (3)
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Therefore, if the report is accurate and Arsenal have a genuine chance of signing the Swedish goal machine this summer, they should absolutely take it
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