Arsenal will compete for the “monstrous” striker

Arsenal stuttering this season and not making the best of key chances where they could catch current Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The Gunners have now drawn their last two games, against Fulham, who have impressed this term, and relegation strugglers Everton, who find themselves six points behind the Reds.

It was certainly a frustrating time for Mikel Arteta sides, who haven’t quite found their rhythm in recent weeks. They became almost too focused on set-pieces and struggled to create much from open play.

That has been a real problem for Arteta and his coaching staff, but perhaps there needs to be another striker besides Kai Havertz, and they have been linked with someone before the January window.

Arsenal are targeting the Serie A striker

It is the center forward of Juventus Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian striker has impressed this term for the Old Lady and is now being linked with a potential move to the Emirates Stadium in January.

At least, it is according to a report from CaughtOffsidewho say Arsenal think Vlahovic ‘would be the perfect striker’ for Arteta’s current squad and are ‘ready to make a move’ for the forward.

However, they will not be alone in their pursuit of the Serb. Premier League rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are interested, and French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also linked.

As for the 24-year-old striker’s price, a report from CaughtOffside suggests he will cost upwards of £58m. It would make it the fourth most expensive contract for the Gunners of all time. according to Transfermarkt.

Why Vlahovic would be a good signing

Although it would be an expensive investment for the Gunners, there is no doubt what Vlahovic could bring to their team; goals. It’s something they’ve struggled with this term, scoring 29 times with an expected goals tally of 34.24kG, conceding 5.24 goals in total according to Understat.

Luckily for Artetina, Vlahovic has the ability to score goals and could be the man to help them solve their problems. He has 11 goals of 19 games in Serie A and the Champions League this term, which is more than any Arsenal players in all competitions.

He recently scored against Manchester City, once finding the back of the net in a 2-0 win at the Allianz Stadium. It was exactly the kind of goal that would have gone down well with the Arsenal faithful, the striker fighting for the ball in the penalty area, scoring a header and shooting. Excellent finish from the centre-forward.

Certainly comparisons can be made between Vlahovic and his opposite number at Man City, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian has been the bane of Arsenal’s problems in recent seasons as they have failed to overcome the dominant Citizens in the title race. He scored 76 goals in the Premier League in only 81 games until now.

With that in mind, they could be willing to bring in a striker who is statistically similar to City number nine via FBref. First, it’s worth noting that the Juve player has played 12.8 full 90 minutes this term, but Haaland has played slightly more, with 15 full 90-minute games.

In terms of numbers, the pair are extremely close when it comes to expected goals per 90 minutes. Vlahovic has an average of 0.72 kg, and Haaland slightly more with 0.86 kg. Arsenal may need someone who can create chances out of nowhere. Juve’s striker averages 1.95 shots per game, and City’s centre-forward slightly more with two.

The signing of Vlahovic could be just what Arteta’s side need to turn their season around. They will be desperate to make up points at Liverpool and catch Arne Slott’s side, and the forward, described as “monstrous” football statistician Statman Davehe could be the man to help them reach the top of the Premier League.