Arsenal are preparing to weigh up their options ahead of the eagerly anticipated January transfer window, as Mikel Arteta bids to fire his side towards their first Premier League title since 2004.
There are a host of changes that are stalling the Gunners’ bid to be top of the pile in May, with squad depth a glaringly obvious area that must be seen to in January and transfer windows beyond.
The north Londoners splashed over £200m on new arrivals in the summer, with the most lucrative deal being the £105m capture of West Ham United captain Declan Rice, whose arrival has proved that some price tags are worth the expense.
With the winter window creeping ever closer, Arteta and Edu are linked with a host of targets that could make their way to the Emirates in the new year, with a range of positions claimed to be targeted for improvement.
Arsenal January transfer targets
One area that could be replenished this winter is the striker department, with Gabriel Jesus unreliable with his fitness, and Eddie Nketiah unreliable with his conviction in front of goal.
A name that has cropped up with reference to Arsenal is Brentford talisman Ivan Toney, who is set to return from his ban in January.
Last month, the Mirror reported that the Bees value their striker at £100m, with the Gunners mentioned in the article as potential admirers of the Englishman, who netted 20 goals in the Premier League last season.
In a new report, Football Transfers has linked another European sharpshooter to the Emirates, with Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic said to still be of interest to the north Londoners.
As noted in the report, Arteta eyed the Serbian in January 2022, however he opted to sign for Juve in a deal worth £66.6m from Fiorentina.
This week, Football Transfers claimed that the 23-year-old remains Arteta’s favoured striker target, with his current market value sitting at €80m (£70m).
Dusan Vlahovic’s career in numbers
When revising Vlahovic’s career scoring record, it’s easy to forget that the striker is still only 23 years of age.
Starting his career at Partizan Belgrade, Fiorentina captured the signing of the Serbian at the age of 17, giving him a platform to grow in Italy.
At the point of his arrival, fan website ‘Viola Nation’ explained how the teenager had already ‘drawn comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’, giving fans an encouraging outlook on the calibre of talent the club had joined forces with.
Standing at 6 foot 3, the forward’s stature doesn’t compromise his pace or agility, with scouting site, The Analyst, mentioning his mobility as one of his assets, supported by his top speed recorded at 32.40 km/h.
It didn’t take long for the unknown teenager to make an impact at Fiorentina, with him scoring 20 goals for the Primavera side in only 22 appearances to give the Italian outfit a snapshot of his capability.
In the 2019/20 campaign, the dynamic forward was promoted to the first team, in which he ended his first full Serie A season with six goals and one assist, which prevailed to be the start of something explosive with the Viola.
The following term, Vlahovic claimed 21 goals and two assists in Serie A, followed by netting 17 goals and four assists in only 21 league appearances in 2021/22, bringing much delight to the club that nurtured him.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t just Fiorentina that the Serbia international was impressing, as in the January of that season, Juventus captured the talisman at the age of 22.
Following his arrival, former Juve midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi dubbed the forward as “extraordinary”, backing him to restore the goals lost by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo the year prior to reinforce his quality.
Club
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
Fiorentina
2019/20
30
6
1
Fiorentina
2020/21
37
21
2
Fiorentina
2021/22
21
17
4
Juventus
2021/22
15
7
1
Juventus
2022/23
27
10
2
Juventus
2023/24
9
4
1
Figures via Transfermarkt
Things haven’t quite worked as well in Turin as they did with the Viola, having scored 21 goals in 51 appearances for the Bianconeri in Serie A, matching his total from the 2020/21 campaign alone.
The lethal element to the striker’s game is still traceable, with his quality unquestionable in the final third based on his remarkable emergence on the scene at Fiorentina as a youngster.
As Arteta continues his hunt for a reliable source of goals, it’s little surprise that the Spaniard has highlighted Vlahovic as a potential target, with his attributes having the potential to offer a lot to the Gunners.
Why Dusan Vlahovic would be a good signing for Arsenal
There’s a reason why the 23-year-old has struggled to fully translate his talents across to Juventus, with Tacchinardi previously defending the poacher’s struggles to criticise the way that the Serie A outfit play.
As relayed by Football Italia, Tacchinardi explained that “the team doesn’t put him in a position to score goals”, adding that the squad “don’t create chances”, criticism that can’t be said about Arsenal’s approach to play.
If there’s one thing that Arteta’s side strive at, it’s creating chances through their silky style of play, which could benefit and get the best out of Vlahovic should he end up at the Emirates in the future.
The key creator behind the Gunners’ success in the final third is club captain Martin Odegaard, who created 14 big chances alone last season in the Premier League, as well as averaging 2.1 key passes per game, via Sofascore.
Arsenal’s issue is rarely creating and more so finishing, reinforced by Jesus’ conversion rate of 15% last term, and Nketiah’s rate of only 10% when leading the line for the north Londoners.
After seeing how fundamental the signing of established goalscorer Erling Haaland was for Manchester City last campaign, Arteta must take another page out of Pep Guardiola’s book and hire a reliable source of goals.
Pairing Odegaard’s playmaking expertise with Vlahovic’s ability to make the most out of nothing, the manager could not only improve his side, but could inspire the Norwegian to rediscover his best form, after starting the 2023/24 campaign in lacklustre fashion – with only one assist to his name in all competitions.
The former Real Madrid playmaker has had his critics of late – with talkSPORT's Darren Bent describing him as "nowhere to be seen" during the North London Derby earlier this season – yet the presence of a clinical and physical focal point ahead of him could get the 24-year-old firing again.
Only time will tell if Arsenal will be serious over the reported pursuit of Vlahovic, who would undoubtedly add significant firepower to the ranks at the Emirates.
