It was a huge summer of change for Arsenal last year, with key transfer additions in the shame of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arriving for around £170million. Add on Jurrien Timber – who unfortunately missed almost the entire season through injury – and it took the Gunners’ spend to over £200million.
Ultimately, the Gunners fell just short in a bid to win the Premier League title, with Manchester City pipping them to the trophy by two points. That leaves Mikel Arteta and Edu with some key decisions to make on the squad.
football.london understands that despite the addition of Rice last summer, a new midfielder is the priority at the Emirates Stadium this summer. However, the club still want to make additions elsewhere, and one position they are looking to make a new signing is in attack.
Benjamin Sesko was targeted, but has signed a new contract at RB Leipzig. Since that decision the Gunners have been linked with Viktor Gyokeres and Serhou Guirassy among others – but which of the duo makes the most sense?
Lee Wilmot
It may simply come down to how much a deal will cost Arsenal when deciding between these two strikers. Viktor Gyokeres has the clear edge when it comes to goals scored and assists, with a whopping 43 and 15 to his name respectively this season.
Serhou Guirassy’s stats on the other hand are not to be sniffed at, with 30 goals and three assists to his name. Arguably playing in a more difficult league in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart compared to Liga Portugal with Sporting CP for Gyokeres.
Both are keen on a move away from their club for pastures new and there is little between them in age, although once more Gyokeres would make more sense here at 26, compared to Guirassy’s 28.
Guirassy has been praised for his movement, drifting wide to get possession, leaving spaces for his attacking midfielders to drift into – something Martin Odegaard loves to do. With 15 assists to his name though, it would be unfair to suggest Gyokeres is not a team player.
Neither are familiar with the Premier League, though Gyokeres has experience in England in the Championship that Guirassy does not. Gyokeres comes out on top in most crucial departments, but he will cost upwards of £80million. Whereas Guirassy has a release clause of around £14.7million.
Still, if Arsenal want to win the league, you buy the best candidate don’t you? And that’s Gyokeres. And that’s going to cost them.
Joe Doyle
I think Gyokeres definitely fits the Arsenal profile for a striker better than Guirassy does, but having said that I’m not sure either is exactly the one which will mean the difference between winning the Premier League and falling short.
If the club is going to spend big on a striker, it really has to be the top choice and as close to a sure thing as possible – see the move for Declan Rice last year. I don’t think Gyokeres represents that currently, but an £86million transfer fee is a lot to commit, especially if they want to do business elsewhere in the squad.
The issue with Guirassy is, other than last season he’s not been a standout striker. It’s a bit more of a punt – one that could well be worth taking at a cut-price, of course. If he was bought to add strength in depth then I’d say go for it. I’m just not sure he’s the man to lead the line for the Gunners.
Which is perhaps where the club may consider it as a more pragmatic move. If Eddie Nketiah is to search out football elsewhere, they will need more depth to supplement Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, even if the attack was on fire last year.
If they can’t get a top target this summer, then a move for Guirassy for under £15million does at least represent good value and is worth considering.
Tom Canton
Ultimately this comes down to two things: budget and the desire for quality. Viktor Gyokeres is the better striker between him and Serhou Guirassy in terms of his all-around game.
Guirassy showed last season to be an excellent finisher and a more accurate shot-taker than the Swede but Gyokeres offers more creativity, better technical ability and of course the younger age bracket too.
The £71.2million difference in their prices is a lot but Arsenal are in a position where they should be ruthlessly targeting the best available quality. It is a sizeable gap to bridge to land Gyokeres, but should the Gunners be able to afford him then that is the player they must move for.
It is worth pointing out, however, that central midfield is understood by football.london to be the main priority in the market. However, with candidates not forthcoming, it might be the bulk of funds does go on a forward in which case Gyokeres makes plenty of sense.
