The transfer window slams shut in less than a week, and despite their acute need for goalscorers, Mikel Arteta's side have failed to add a single player to their injury-riddled squad.
Worse still, Manchester City, who have denied them Premier League glory for the last two years, have been on a spending spree this month, with the £59m signing of Eintracht Frankfurt's free-scoring Omar Marmoush the pièce de résistance of their business.
Marmoush-city
However, there may yet be cause for optimism among the Arsenal fanbase, as recent reports have linked the club with another sensational forward who could be their answer to City's new Egyptian superstar.
Arsenal chasing Premier League star
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha.
FFC Header Transfer Focus
Transfer Focus
In fact, the report has gone a step further and revealed that the Old Gold are now 'expecting one or more' offers for the Brazilian superstar before the transfer deadline on February 3rd.
However, the Gunners are not the only interested party, as the story also names Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa as the other particularly keen sides, and while a potential price is not mentioned, reports from earlier this month claimed that a fee of around £80m could be enough to tempt Wolves into selling.
Cunha-Wolves-Premier-League
It will likely be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line this month, but given Cunha's ability and Arsenal's need for more attackers, it's one the club cannot afford to pass up, and the fact he's won comparisons to Marmoush can only be a good thing.
Why Cunha would be Arsenal's answer to Marmoush
Okay, before we look at some of the reasons as to why Arsenal should be going all out to sign Cunha before the deadline next week, let's examine this comparison to Marmoush and where it has come from.
Marmoush-Man-City
Well, it primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the former Frankfurt phenom is the ninth most similar forward to the Wolves superstar.
The best way to see how this conclusion has been reached is by looking at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, goals per shot and shot on target, passing accuracy, expected assists, through balls, crosses, carries into the final third and more, all per 90.
Cunha & Marmoush
Statistics per 90
Cunha
Marmoush
Goals per Shot
0.15
0.17
Goals per Shot on Target
0.38
0.38
Passing Accuracy
71.6%
70.2%
Expected Assists
0.19
0.25
Through Balls
0.35
0.30
Crosses
4.48
4.58
Successful Take-On %
44.1%
44.7%
Carries
29.4
27.2
Carries into the Final Third
3.08
3.14
Aerial Duels Won
0.45
0.41
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season
However, another way in which the Brazilian dynamo could become the Gunners' answer to Marmoush is by the simple act of joining the club this month, as while the North Londoners would still have spent significantly less than the reigning champions, they would have at least got a marquee and sought-after attacker through the door.
Moreover, and this is also a reason why Arteta and Co might want to sign the former Atlético Madrid star, he also has the ability to play in multiple positions in the attack, be that on the wings, down the middle or even in attacking midfield, which is a versatility he shares with the Egyptian ace, who can play on either wing or down the middle.
Finally, while the 25-year-old hasn't been quite as deadly in front of goal this season, he's still been an incredibly effective attacker.
For example, in just 23 appearances this season, totalling 1807 minutes, the "sensational" dangerman, as dubbed by former professional turned pundit Micah Richards, has scored ten goals and provided four assists, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 129.07 minutes.
Ultimately, Arsenal are in desperate need of an attacking signing before the transfer window slams shut, and while he'll cost them a pretty penny, Cunhalooks like the perfect option.
Furthermore, due to his statistical and positional similarities, he could also be their answer to Marmoush.
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