Another Gyokeres: Arsenal can forget Rodrygo by signing "world-class" star
da apostebet： If we just forget about yesterday afternoon’s rather underwhelming North London Derby – it was just a friendly after all – it would be fair to say this has been a largely positive summer for Arsenal.
da bet nacional： Aside from yesterday’s minor blip, Mikel Arteta’s side have looked good on the pitch, and the board have been hard at work in the transfer market off of it.
The North Londoners have made six permanent first-team additions thus far, and while the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke are certainly exciting additions, the most significant is undoubtedly Viktor Gyokeres, who finally completed his £63.5m transfer from Sporting CP last week.
However, even then, the club continue to be linked with a host of talented players, including the superb Rodrygo, although they may be wise to opt for another, cheaper international they’ve been linked with, someone who could be described as another Gyokeres.
Arsenal's pursuit of Rodrygo
There is no doubt that one of the most exciting transfer links for Arsenal fans this summer has been to Rodrygo, as the Brazilian international has been at the heart of so much of Real Madrid’s domestic and continental success over the last six years or so.
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However, over the last two and a bit seasons, he has been playing out of his favoured left-wing position, and that, combined with an absurd amount of talent at the Bernabeu, has supposedly seen him become available this summer.
There have been a host of top clubs linked with the 24-year-old so far this summer, and according to reports from earlier in the window, the Gunners are very much interested.
It’s not hard to see why Arteta and Co would be keen to bring him to London, as even when not in his best position, the former Santos gem is still effective.
For example, in 54 appearances last season, totalling 3452 minutes, he was able to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.16 games, or every 138.08 minutes.
However, with a price tag of up to £86m, according to some reports, Arsenal may want to look elsewhere for an attacker they’ve previously linked with, one who could be described as Gyokeres-esque: Ademola Lookman
Arsenal could sign Lookman instead
Now, it is undoubtedly the case that for much of the last couple of weeks it’s looked like Lookman would be heading to Inter Milan, but as things stand, that move appears to have stalled.
So, with Arsenal already being linked with him several times this window, there is no reason they couldn’t hijack the move.
With that said, three reasons make the Nigerian international a Gyokeres-esque signing, with the first reason being his senior journey.
Like the Swedish international, the former Everton ace spent some time in English football but was never really able to establish himself in the Premier League, as in total, he has a record of just 11 goals and six assists in 96 games across spells with the Toffees, Leicester City and Fulham.
Then, instead of accepting a bit-part role in England, the London-born dynamo decided to move to Europe, joined Atalanta in Serie A and has been a lean, mean goalscoring machine ever since.
Lookman’s recent form
Season
22/23
23/24
24/25
Appearances
33
45
40
Minutes
1858′
2809′
2871′
Goals
15
17
20
Assists
8
10
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.69
0.60
0.67
Minutes per Goal Involvement
80.78′
104.03′
106.33
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In fact, in the three seasons he’s spent in Bergamo, the “world-class” star, as dubbed by the BBC’s John Bennett, has an incredible record of 52 goals and 25 assists in 118 appearances, totalling 7538 minutes.
In other words, the 29-capped international has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes since joining the Serie A side, which is probably reason enough for the Gunners to consider him over Rodrygo.
Finally, at 27 years old, the Europa League winner is the same age as Gyokeres and should be ready to have an instant impact at the Emirates in a season in which the North Londoners have to win something.
Ultimately, Rodrygo would be a great signing, but at potentially just £43m and with the incredible record he has, Lookman might just be the better option.
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The international game-changer would be an unreal signing for Arsenal.