The Gunners remain active as we enter the final three days of the winter transfer window. Mikel Arteta is still hoping for a new centre-forward before Monday’s deadline.
Arsenal had a bid rejected for Watkins earlier in the week, and a second offer was expected to go in for the Aston Villa man.
However, the Gunners have realised that they cannot land the Englishman after Villa sold Jhon Duran to Al Nassr. There’s no way Unai Emery will sell his other striker in the same window.
So, Arsenal are evaluating the possibility of signing another striker now.
Arsenal considering late Dusan Vlahovic move but there’s a problem
Dusan Vlahovic has been on Arsenal’s radar for a long time.
The Serbia international was wanted by Arteta to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a few years ago. Vlahovic snubbed them at the time and picked Juventus.
Things haven’t completely gone to plan for the 24-year-old in Turin, and TBR Football confirmed that Juventus are ready to sell Vlahovic in this window.
Rudy Galetti has now claimed on TeamTalk that Arsenal are considering making a bid to sign the Juventus star over the weekend after realising that they cannot land Watkins.
But, there’s a problem.
The report claims that although Juventus are open to selling Vlahovic, they want to sign a replacement first – Randal Kolo Muani alone is not deemed enough for the remainder of the season.
If Juve do find a new striker, they are ready to offload Vlahovic for ‘slightly less’ than his initial £54.4 million price tag. The striker is open to a move to the Premier League too.
A final decision hasn’t been made by Arsenal yet, but a move for Vlahovic, who was hailed as an ‘extraordinary’ striker by Dragan Stojkovic in an interview with FIFA, is seriously being evaluated ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.
Ollie Watkins vs Dusan Vlahovic stats compared in 2024/25
Arsenal have been keeping tabs on Vlahovic for a few years now, but he hasn’t been their top target in any of their recent windows.
Arteta has preferred other forwards recently, and the bid to sign Watkins ahead of Vlahovic shows that the Aston Villa man was the priority.
But, what do their stats say?
Games Goals Assists Minutes-per-goal Minutes-per-assist
Ollie Watkins 32 11 9 203 248
Dusan Vlahovic 27 12 2 166 996
Ollie Watkins vs Dusan Vlahovic stats in 2024/25 (correct as of January 31, 2025)
Vlahovic’s goal ratio is slightly better than Watkins’ this season, but the Aston Villa star is significantly better at creating chances for players around him.
That’s probably why Arteta prefers the Englishman, and the fact that he is Premier League proven is a big bonus too.
However, if a move for Watkins becomes absolutely impossible, Arsenal have to look elsewhere and Vlahovic would not be a bad option at all.
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