It looked like Mikel Arteta's side were set to drop more points in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon when Myles Lewis-Skelly's controversial red card saw them reduced to ten men.
However, the North Londoners rallied and came out in the second half as the better side, and when Wolverhampton Wanderers' Joao Gomes' was also sent off, they took advantage and all three points thanks to a goal from the returning Ricardo Calafiori.
Calafiori-Arsenal-Wolves
Now, while it was an example of the Gunners' impressive resilience, it was also another game in which Kai Havertz missed a couple of really good chances in front of goal, which has only further fueled discussions about the team's need for a new number nine.
Fortunately, recent reports have touted one of the continent's most informed marksmen for a move to the Emirates this month, although such a move would undoubtedly be bad news for the former Chelsea ace.
Kai-Havertz-Arsenal-1
Arsenal offered in form striker
According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are keen to add another striker to the squad this month and have been offered several potential options.
Mateo Retegui
One of the options is Atalanta star Mateo Retegui, who has been in sensational form for the Bergamo-based side this season.
A potential price that the Gunners may have to pay for the Italian international is not mentioned in Bailey's report, but stories from late last month revealed that offers in the region of €55m, which is about £46m, would be enough to get the Serie A side to come to the table.
Retegui-Leeds-Premier-league-Gnonto-transfer
It could be a rather costly transfer to get over the line this month, but given Arsenal's acute need for goalscorers and Retegui's impressive form this season, it's one worth pursuing, even if that is bad news for Havertz.
How Retegui compares to Havertz
So, if Arsenal do stump up the cash and are able to get their hands on Retegui this month, then it seems unlikely that he would be joining just to sit on the bench and play the odd minutes here and there.
Kai-Havertz
Instead, he'd almost certainly join with the intention of competing with Havertz for a starting berth up top, but who would come ahead?
Well, if we are judging them off their output this season, which is what matters most for a centre-forward, then it is a relatively comfortable win for the Italian ace.
For example, in just 29 appearances, totalling 1621 minutes, the "lethal" sharpshooter, as dubbed by Italian manager Luciano Spalletti, has scored 19 goals and provided four assists, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.26 games, or every 70.47 minutes, which is an absurdly impressive rate of return.
In contrast, the Gunners' number 29 has scored 14 goals and provided four assists in 31 appearances, totalling 2576 minutes, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 143.11 minutes, which is still impressive, but significantly less so than his potential competitor's average.
Unfortunately for the Aachen-born forward, the one-sided nature of this comparison only continues when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers from this season.
For example, the Atalanta star comes out on top in practically every relevant metric, including, but not limited to, actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes received, shots and shots on target, goals per shot and shot on target, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes and more, all per 90.
Retegui vs Havertz
Statistics per 90
Retegui
Havertz
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.72
0.58
Actual Non-Penalty G+As
1.34
0.51
Progressive Passes
1.42
2.78
Progressive Passes Received
8.11
5.31
Shots
4.18
2.47
Goals per Shot
0.26
0.17
Shots on Target
1.65
0.98
Goals per Shot on Target
0.67
0.42
Passing Accuracy
75.6%
77.6%
Key Passes
1.42
0.77
Shot-Creating Actions
2.76
2.06
Goal-Creating Actions
0.63
0.10
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season
Ultimately, be it through raw output or their underlying numbers, it is clear that Retegui is the more dangerous striker, at least this season.
Therefore, Arsenal should do what they can to bring him to the Emirates this month, as his prowess in front of goal could be the key to catching Liverpool.
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