Arsenal’s Premier League tussle with rivals Chelsea certainly isn’t one that will live long in the memory, with Mikel Merino’s inventive, first-half header proving the difference in what was a tetchy affair at the Emirates.
That rather lifeless meeting pitted two injury-hit teams against each other, although it was arguably only the Gunners who looked intent on securing victory, with the visitors rather resigned to their fate.
The Blues were without Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, among others, although the hosts were without the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, as Merino maintained his role as a makeshift centre-forward.
To the Spaniard’s credit, he has taken to that role in respectable fashion of late having also scored against PSV Eindhoven, alongside his brace against Leicester City, with Enzo Maresca perhaps in need of his own novel solution in the absence of Jackson.
Mikel Arteta must then be delighted to have seen his experiment pay off, although fielding the former Real Sociedad man in that attacking berth will likely be a short-term venture. A new centre-forward is a must this summer…
The latest on Arsenal's search for a striker
Not since the summer of 2022 have the Gunners forked out for a new number nine, albeit with even Gabriel Jesus not exactly an orthodox striker, having largely featured on the flanks during his time at Manchester City.
Season
Player
PL goals
2024/25*
Kai Havertz
9
2023/24
Bukayo Saka
16
2022/23
Martin Odegaard & Gabriel Martinelli
15
2021/22
Bukayo Saka
11
2020/21
Alexandre Lacazette
13
2019/20
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
22
2018/19
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
22
2017/18
Alexandre Lacazette
14
2016/17
Alexis Sanchez
24
2015/16
Olivier Giroud
16
Havertz, meanwhile, was initially signed to replace Granitz Xhaka in a left-sided number eight berth, and while he has scored 29 goals since for the north London side, that desire for a more prolific attacking figurehead has not abated.
Indeed, as reported by Football Insider, Arsenal are believed to be interested in signing Inter sensation, Marcus Thuram, this summer, having moved ahead of title rivals Liverpool in pursuit of the Frenchman.
Transfer Focus
As per the report, the in-demand striker is believed to have a £71m release clause in his current contract which can be activated at the end of the season, albeit with the Serie A leaders currently trying to negotiate a new deal with the 27-year-old.
The Gunners would have to rival Chelsea and Liverpool for his signature, with the Reds seemingly viewing Thuram as a perfect replacement for Darwin Nunez, who could leave Anfield if a suitable offer arrives – according to the piece.
Whether Arteta and co can win that fight remains to be seen, although if the former Borussia Monchengladbach marksman does end up at the Emirates, he could represent the centre-forward solution that the club have been craving.
Arsenal could land the next Thierry Henry
Dipping into the Italian market has been a fruitful venture in the past for the Gunners, having notably plucked Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp from AC Milan and Inter, respectively, prior to the golden Arsene Wenger era.
That interest in recruiting from Serie A was also on show with the signing of the club’s all-time top scorer, Thierry Henry, with the legendary World Cup winner arriving from Juventus in 1999. The rest, as they say, is history.
While replicating the talents of arguably the Premier League’s greatest-ever player, as crowned by fans previously, is almost an impossible task, Thuram has shown qualities that parallel his compatriot.
The likeness between the pair was notably highlighted by Wenger, with the iconic Gunners boss stating in the past that one player who “reminds” him of Henry is Thuram, amid the striker’s fine form at Gladbach.
After scoring 44 goals in 134 games during his time with the Bundesliga side, the Parma-born forward has been a revelation since his free transfer switch to Milan in 2023, scoring 31 goals in 84 games for his current side, while registering 12 assists.
A player capable of operating through the middle or off the left, much like Henry, Thuram has scored 16 times in 38 games this season for Simone Inzaghi’s side, showcasing just why talent scout Jacek Kulig has described him as “an absolute beast” of a striker in the past.
With Thuram also interestingly noted as a statistically similar player to another leading Arsenal target, Alexander Isak, in relation to centre-forwards in Europe’s top five leagues, all the signs point to a summer move proving a successful one for the Gunners.
Having waited so long to get a new number nine in the door, there could be worse decisions than settling on Henry 2.0 – as long as Liverpool don’t get there first, that is.
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