It may have ended in heartbreak, just like the previous campaign, but it would be hard to deny that Arsenal enjoyed a spectacular season last year.
Mikel Arteta's med pushed Manchester City all the way to the final day of the season, and if it were not for one stumble against Aston Villa in the entirety of 2024, they would have ended their two-decade Premier League title drought.
However, while the fans will still be licking their wounds, the club look ready to go again for a third season running this year, and with the right signings this summer, they may finally get their hands on that trophy.
Fortunately, recent reports have linked the club with one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe, although this could spell trouble for Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have firmly reignited their interest in Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres.
The report has claimed that the Swedish international now 'tops the Gunners' shortlist of striker options' and that the North Londoners are prepared to make an offer worth around €60m, which converts to about £52m.
The issue for Edu and Co is that while the report has revealed that the Portuguese giants are no longer asking for clubs to pay the player's €100m release clause – £84m – they do want about €70m – £60m – for the marksman, which means the Gunners will need to up their potential offer.
Overall, it would be an expensive deal to complete, and there are likely still plenty of negotiations to be done, but if Arsenal have the chance to sign Gyokeres, they should take it, even if it spells trouble for Jesus.
How Gyokeres compares to Jesus
So, if Arsenal can get their hands on the incredible Gyokeres this summer, that would leave them with Kai Havertz, Jesus, and the Swede as their primary options at number nine, and based on the end of last season, it would seem that the Brazilian could fall out of contention entirely, but how does he compare to his new potential competition?
Well, when it comes to the most important metric of all for a striker, output, it's just not a competition at all.
For example, in his 50 appearances for Sporting last season, the Swedish "powerhouse", as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 43 goals and provided 15 assists for good measure. This means the former Coventry City ace averaged a ridiculous 1.16 goal involvements per game for the Portuguese side.
In contrast, the former Manchester City forward scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 36 appearances for the Gunners last season. While that equates to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.25 games, it does not compare to the player he may be competing with next season.
Unfortunately for the São Paulo-born ace, he doesn't fare much better when we compare the pair's underlying numbers.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.82
0.62
Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
1.05
0.55
Progressive Passes
1.57
2.56
Progressive Carries
3.52
2.32
Shots
3.37
3.35
Shots on Target
1.64
1.16
Shot-Creating Actions
4.08
3.59
Goal-Creating Actions
0.65
0.49
Successful Take-Ons
2.10
2.13
Aerial Duels Won
1.91
0.91
For example, while the 64-capped Brazilian comes out on top in a couple of metrics like progressive passes and successful take-ons, he comes out second best in practically every other relevant statistic, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, and aerial duels won, all per 90.
Ultimately, Gyokeres looks like one of the best strikers in Europe at the moment, and Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign him this summer. However, if they do, it looks like it could be the end of the road for Jesus as an out-and-out striker in North London.
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