A former Arsenal star has urged Mikel Arteta to beat the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle United to the statement signing of Victor Osimhen.
Nigeria star Osimhen was left stranded earlier this year when he was cast aside by Napoli and failed to secure a summer transfer before the deadline for most European clubs. The centre-forward had held talks with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and the Saudis, but none of those moves materialised.
The Turkish Super Lig often comes to the rescue for sidelined players, as their transfer window runs later, and Galatasaray ended up saving Osimhen by capturing him on a season-long loan.
Galatasaray would love to sign the goalscorer permanently, though he is likely to push for a blockbuster move to a truly elite club following the end of the season.
William Gallas, who made 142 appearances for Arsenal between 2006 and 2010, has now weighed in on Osimhen’s situation.
He has explained why Arsenal should win the race for the 25-year-old and raised concerns over current Gunners forwards Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling.
“If I could sign one player for Arsenal in January, it would be a world-class striker, but they are not available in January,” he said (via Goal). “No top, top strikers are available at the moment.
“I wanted to speak about Osimhen because I know he’s at Galatasaray, and I still don’t understand why he’s there.
“That’s the type of profile Arsenal need. They need a player with that pedigree.
“With Victor, maybe he won’t score 20 goals in the season, but he will scare defenders, he will give them a hard time, and that will give the opportunity for players around him to score goals.
“That’s why he reminds me a little bit of Drogba. If you remember when Drogba was at Chelsea, he gave the defenders a hard time. Frank Lampard was around, almost a second striker, and always scored. I think, maybe one season, he had more goals than Didier. Arsenal doesn’t have that player at the moment.
“When you look at Gabriel Jesus, he’s not really fit, he doesn’t play. Looks like he’s not happy. Sterling doesn’t play. Havertz, up and down, up and down. You need more consistency.”
Osimhen would certainly be an excellent signing for Arsenal, as he is viewed as one of the best strikers in the world.
So far in his career, Osimhen has notched 122 goals in 232 games across all competitions. That includes eight goals in nine matches for Galatasaray this term.
Arsenal are also big admirers of Alexander Isak, whose future at Newcastle United has become uncertain.
But if the Gunners cannot snare Isak, then Osimhen would be a fantastic alternative. The 35-cap international is available for €75million (£62.5m / $79.7m) after Napoli lowered his release clause significantly.
Gallas’ comments on Jesus come after the Brazilian admitted recently that he ‘wants to have more minutes’.
Jesus would likely have to seek a transfer if he was pushed further down the pecking order by either Osimhen or Isak.
Sterling has operated as a false nine at times in his career, though the loanee is struggling for game time just like Jesus. It is likely Sterling will head back to Chelsea in the summer, creating room on the wage bill for a big-money striker to join.
Gallas’ criticism of Havertz is harsh, however. Havertz has shown real signs of improvement under Arteta and has managed seven goals in 17 outings so far this campaign.
Arsenal news: Contract talks ramp up; Liverpool midfielder battle
Meanwhile, reports claim Arsenal have accelerated contract discussions with William Saliba to prevent him from joining Real Madrid.
Florentino Perez, Madrid’s president, is thought to be a big fan of Saliba and would love to sign him ahead of next season.
You can find out more about Arsenal’s efforts to stop Perez here.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Arsenal hold firm interest in Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Larsson.
Arsenal are in contact with the midfielder’s entourage, though Liverpool and AC Milan are lurking for a potential deal, too.
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