We’ve finally made it to transfer deadline-day, and while a number of their rivals have made additions to their squads, Arsenal have not.
Mikel Arteta came into the window knowing that his side desperately needed attacking reinforcements, and even though the injury to Gabriel Jesus made that need even more acute, that attacking signing has still not materialised.
However, while the clock is well and truly ticking, the Gunners have made more than a fair share of deadline-day signings in the past, from Thomas Partey in 2020 to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018, but the most notable of all is undoubtedly Mesut Özil, who secured his move to Arsenal back in the summer of 2013.
While it might take a long time for the North Londoners to complete a better deadline-day signing than the world-class German, recent reports have linked the club with a sensational striker who could be a close second.
Arsenal target international striker
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have maintained their strong interest in Juventus’ striker Dušan Vlahović.
In fact, the report goes a step further, claiming that due to the Gunners’ need for another number nine, fans should be on the lookout for a potential ‘late bid’ for the Serbian international.
How much the former Fiorentina man might cost the North Londoners is not revealed in the story, but other reports from earlier this month claimed that an offer in the region of £54m could be enough to tempt the Old Lady into selling.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Vlahović’s immense ability and Arsenal’s need, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could end up being their best deadline day deal since Ozil.
Why Vlahović could be Arsenal's best deadline day deal since Ozil
So, we probably don’t need to explain to you why Ozil, who won four FA Cups and produced 118 goal involvements during his time in North London, is arguably Arsenal’s greatest deadline-day deal, but you might be a little less sure about why Vlahović could become a close second should he put pen to paper later on today.
Well, there are a few reasons, but they all ultimately stem from one thing: his output.
For example, during his time playing for Fiorentina, the Belgrade-born “monster,” as dubbed by Italian journalist Carlo Garganese, racked up a sensational haul of 49 goals and eight assists in just 108 appearances and, since joining Juventus, he’s scored 54 goals and provided 11 assists in 129 appearances.
Appearances
108
129
Goals
49
54
Assists
8
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.52
0.50
That means he maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.89 games for La Viola and currently has an average of a goal involvement every 1.98 games for the Old Lady, which proves that he can operate at a world-class level of output for two different teams in a top five league.
Therefore, there is no reason to suspect that he wouldn’t remain at least as effective with players like Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard around him, which in turn means he could be the number nine the club so desperately need to fire them to glory either this season or the next.
That is the primary reason he could go down as the club’s best deadline-day deal since Ozil, as while Aubameyang was incredibly prolific, he was only responsible for one FA Cup, whereas, with the team Arteta currently has at his disposal, a ready-made marksman like Vlahović, could be the final component of a title-winning machine.
Ultimately, it could be a challenging transfer to get done before the clock strikes 11pm, but Arsenal must do what they can to bring the Serbian superstar to N5.
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