Arsenal step up hunt for ‘magic’ forward
Arsenal will step up their pursuit of a new forward following their Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich, when Mikel Arteta said his team lacked the required attacking “magic”.
Arsenal’s struggles to break down Bayern’s defence, after falling 3-2 behind on aggregate, underlined the club’s deficiencies.
Martin Odegaard, the club captain, said the quarter-final was lost “in front of the goals” where the team were not “sharp enough”.
Manager Arteta, meanwhile, said: “I saw the players really willing, trying their best. It wasn’t enough, that was true, to get the magic moment that is needed in this competition, to unlock it, to make something happen when the game requires us to open that door. We didn’t have it and that’s why we’re out.”
Depending on sales, Arsenal could target a central striker to challenge Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, and another wide player to compete with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal pushed hard to sign a new winger but were unable to seal deals for Raphinha, who joined Barcelona from Leeds United, and Mykhailo Mudryk, who went to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk. They also have had a long-standing interest in Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
They signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton in January last year, but the Belgian is regarded as a different sort of attacker to Martinelli and Saka.
Arsenal are admirers of Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee, who has scored 10 goals in Serie A this season, although a potential asking price of £50million could be prohibitive. According to Italian reports, the 22-year-old is wanted by AC Milan.
Benjamin Sesko, the 20-year-old Slovenia striker who plays for RB Leipzig in Germany, has also been linked to Arsenal.
Financial firepower could be boosted by sales, with Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Kieran Tierney, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson and Aaron Ramsdale among those expected to attract interest.
There is growing uncertainty over the future of Oleksandr Zinchenko, who will have only two years on his contract this summer. Zinchenko was jeered by fans during Sunday’s home defeat by Aston Villa, although Arteta said this week he was “loved” at the club.
In recent years, Arsenal have generally prioritised players who have already proved themselves in English football. Of their past 10 first-team signings, seven have arrived from other Premier League clubs.