Mikel Arteta's men had only won one of their last five Premier League games and a big part of that was their sorry record in the opposition's penalty area.
Indeed, across three encounters at the latter end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the Gunners had fired 61 shots towards the goal that had only resulted in scoring once.
Arsenal-Trossard-White-Tomiyasu-Odegaard
So, what happened next? They didn't sign a new forward and would go on to score a bucket load of goals during their title challenge. It's funny how football works, isn't it?
That simply isn't sustainable, however, and an attacker must be sourced this summer.
Arsenal's plans to sign a striker
Among the top priorities for Edu and Co this summer is RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko.
The Mirror reported a few days ago that the striker had said 'yes' to signing for the Londoners before a further report over the weekend indicated that they had now lodged a bid for the Slovenian's services.
Yet, he's not the only man on their shortlist.
Arsenal-Isak-Gyokeres-Osimhen-Zirkzee-Sesko
Indeed, despite their interest in the 21-year-old, they are reportedly still looking at Victor Osimhen.
That's according to Tutto Mercato Web in Italy who suggest that Arsenal are "moving" for the Nigerian striker this summer amid interest from the likes of PSG and Saudi side Al-Hilal.
Napoli star Victor Osimhen
The attacker allegedly has a release clause of £113m in his contract meaning this would be a potentially record-breaking deal at the Emirates.
How Osimhen compares to Sesko
In Sesko Arsenal would be acquiring a particularly raw talent. That doesn't necessarily matter, however.
Unlike Manchester United with Rasmus Hojlund and Liverpool with Darwin Nunez, they won't immediately be reliant on Sesko.
Benjamin-Sesko
Arteta still has Gabriel Jesus at his disposal and chiefly, Kai Havertz. The German was nothing short of a sensation in the central striking berth throughout 2023/24, scoring eight and assisting seven in 18 matches as a centre forward.
So, that would perhaps mean that Arteta can afford to bring in a 'project striker' such as Sesko.
The Slovenia international is no slouch in front of goal himself, netting 18 last term, but at the age of 21 there is plenty of development left.
If Arsenal wanted to go in a different direction, signing a tried and tested option then Osimhen would certainly be a better bet.
Described as a "monster" by analyst Raj Chohan, the 25-year-old is a goal machine. A scorer of 17 goals last season, Osimhen was on fire during Napoli's title-winning campaign of 2022/23, bagging 31 in 39 matches across all competitions.
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This is one of Europe's premier forwards and would surely be a success wherever he ends up this summer.
But, taking a look more closely, how does he compare to Sesko?
Osimhen vs Sesko: 2023/24 League Stats
Stat (per 90 mins)
Osimhen
Sesko
Goals
0.68
0.82
Assists
0.14
0.12
Progressive carries
1.55
1.24
Progressive passes
1.05
1.29
Key passes
1.05
0.71
Shot-creating actions
2.45
2.06
Successful take-ons
0.73
1.00
Carries into final 3rd
1.09
0.76
Aerials won
1.68
2.24
Stats via FBref.
So, what can we learn from the above? Well, it certainly looks as though Osimhen is a more complete profile.
Although Sesko is far more dominant in the air, the Napoli marksman is more likely to create goal-scoring opportunities for others, making more key passes every 90 minutes and registering slightly more assists per 90.
Although the former slightly comes out on top for goals last campaign, we all know just how dangerous Osimhen can be when fit and firing. It would be an expensive signing but one that sends a stern message to the rest of the division; Arsenal will do everything in their power to topple Manchester City.
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