In the opening weeks of the season, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side have perhaps showcased that a new attacker isn’t necessarily a requirement in the final embers of the transfer window.
Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard have scored two in two. Christos Tzolis has three assists in those two games and Bukayo Saka is back among the goals at club level as well.
Everything is looking rather rosy at the Emirates Stadium right now but Arteta is still in a ruthless mood. Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus have both been alienated from the first-team picture and have been told to find new clubs.
For Jesus, that is unsurprising. The treatment of Martinelli, however, is slightly questionable. The two Brazilians now look destined to leave but who could replace then? Well, Julian Alvarez would appear to be the leading target.
How Julian Alvarez could fit into the Arsenal team
For so long there has been a sense that Arsenal need an elite centre-forward to really take their team to the next level.
Well, they showed in 2024/25 that even without one they are capable of winning the title. Sure, Viktor Gyokeres still scored 21 goals in all competitions but he is not the long-term answer here. His overall play leaves plenty to be desired.
It’s why Alvarez has been targeted, it’s why there are whispers of a move for Victor Osimhen too.
In the form of the Argentine, they would get such a multi-faceted forward. In Madrid, where he has enjoyed a fruitful time with Atletico, the 26-year-old has largely played as a centre-forward.
That is where he would be expected to play for the Gunners, building on campaigns where he scored 29 and 20 for Atleti in the last two years.
However, there is much more to Alvarez than his ability to score and play as a striker. As he showed at Manchester City, this is someone who can very much thrive when playing behind a centre-forward.
As the Argentine played second fiddle to Erling Haaland in 2023/24 as a second striker, he netted 19 times and also registered 13 assists. As a result, he could give the likes of Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze some competition.
He could also feature off either flank, rivalling Saka and Tzolis for minutes. His record from the wided areas is still rather impressive.
|
Alvarez career by position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
CF |
218 |
108 |
41 |
|
RW |
49 |
12 |
8 |
|
SS |
29 |
11 |
7 |
|
AM |
18 |
6 |
7 |
|
LW |
7 |
2 |
4 |
So, Alvarez ticks so many boxes. He’s versatile, he’s creative and he knows how to beat the goalkeeper. Yet, he may well cost £130m. Arsenal need alternatives but they do already have one impressive young forward on their radar.
How Arsenal could sign their answer to Alvarez
The likelihood this summer is that Alvarez does not move to Arsenal. The fee alone is not the problem.
The 2022 World Cup winner has wanted to seal a move to Barcelona all summer but there are two issues; Atleti do not want to sell to another Spanish club and Barca are unwilling to lodge an acceptable offer.
Alvarez has been open to the idea of heading to the Emirates Stadium but is holding out for his dream move the Camp Nou instead.
So, Arteta and Co are likely to head into the new campaign without a new centre-forward. They may, however, still acquire a new winger. Bradley Barcola continues to be linked, as does Juventus’ young superstar Kenan Yildiz.
The £87m-rated Turkiye international has attracted interest from Arsenal for a while now and would represent a brilliant capture by the Gunners. According to Hand of Arsenal, an informal bid which included cash plus Martinelli, has already been submitted.
Alongside Tzolis, they would have two of the trickiest and two of the most efficient wide players in the game at their disposal. While he did not replicate the Greek’s 22 goal and 29 assist season of 2025/26, Yildiz was still mightily impressive and at a higher level too.
Lauded as a “frightening talent” by Turkish football expert Emre Sarigul, the 21-year-old scored 11 goals and registered nine assists in all competitions and was particularly lively with the ball at his feet. Only 8% of positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues completed more progressive carries per 90 minutes and only 11% completed more successful dribbles per 90.
So, what makes him similar to Alvarez? Well, it would certainly be his versatility. Like the Argentine is not an out and out centre forward, Yildiz is not an out and out winger.
In fact, like the Atleti star, the young Juventus forward thrives as a second striker.
|
Yildiz career by position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
LW |
73 |
13 |
13 |
|
SS |
71 |
23 |
15 |
|
AM |
17 |
8 |
6 |
|
RW |
17 |
3 |
1 |
|
CF |
4 |
1 |
0 |
Due to that, the two players in question excel at linking the play. Last term, Yildiz ranked among the top 9% of wingers and attacking midfielders in the top five leagues for expected threat in the build-up phases of play. By way of comparison, Alvarez also ranked among the finest 9% of strikers for the exact same metric.
Expected Threat (xT) is a metric that quantifies how much a player’s actions (like a pass or carry) increase their team’s probability of scoring.
Alvarez and Yildiz simply love helping others. Sure, they enjoy scoring goals too but they are selfless characters at the same time. There are very few better forwards in Europe right now when it comes to connecting possession and initiating attacks.
The sad part for Arsenal is that the likelihood of either player joining is slim. Fabrizio Romano took to his YouTube channel at the weekend to reveal that while “Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta love the player”, Juventus are “planning for Yildiz to stay” and are “not anticipating any exit for the Turkish winger.”
While every player has their price, it may well be that for now, the Gunners have to forget about another target just as they did with Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers.
