While Arsenal fans may have been disappointed to see a lack of action on transfer deadline day, Mikel Arteta’s men showed just over 24 hours later that their squad is coping just fine.
Their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg vs Chelsea on Tuesday evening was far from a classic, but the home fans inside the Emirates Stadium didn’t care one jot.
They are in a final, their first final in six years, their first final since that horrendous Covid-riddled season, their first since lifting the FA Cup aloft.
It’s remarkable to think that the Gunners haven’t won a major honour since that fine day at Wembley. Arsenal have made a huge amount of progress in the last few years but they have been the bridesmaid for so long. That showpiece event at the end of March represents a chance to be the bride for a change.
No matter what happens between now and the end of the season, there is still a sense that Arteta needs an elite centre forward to carry this team forward. While they are performing admirably, their top scorer is Viktor Gyokeres with just 11. His struggles since moving from Sporting have been well documented.
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Last summer, Andrea Berta’s task was clear; he needed to sign a striker, preferably one with goals in abundance. Well, on paper, there was no better option than Gyokeres.
The Swede was the most prolific striker in Europe’s top leagues last term, eventually ending 2024/25 with 54 goals to his name in 52 appearances.
It was never going to be that easy at Arsenal, but he has floated in and out of form, attracting criticism for his heavy touch and sluggish play. Still, prior to his rather anonymous showing on Tuesday, he was in the best form of his Gunners career, netting four times in his last six outings.
Alvarez, therefore, feels like something of a necessity. Reports in January began linking the Argentine with a move to the Emirates and according to some sources, they have already held talks over a summer switch.
The trouble is that Arsenal will likely need to cough up a sum of £80m, which a year after signing Gyokeres, hardly feels too sensible. That said, the jury remains out on their big summer capture and Alvarez has proven himself in English football already.
Now at Atletico Madrid, a deal that Berta actually brokered during his time in the Spanish capital, it was at City where he really became a household name, scoring 36 goals in 103 appearances. Not mindblowing numbers, sure, but since moving to Atleti, he has been tremendous.
Journalist Roy Nemer suggested last season that he was “the best forward in the world” and few can argue with that, truth be told. In the red and white stripes of Atletico, the Argentina international has found the net on 40 occasions in 88 matches, scoring a goal every 158 minutes he’s on the field.
He’d be an exceptional signing, but before making a decision, Arteta must test Kai Havertz up top.
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You sense that if Arsenal did sign another striker in the summer then one of them will have to leave. The next few months, therefore, are pivotal for those leading the line in Arteta’s side.
Gyokeres will, of course, be given more time, but Gabriel Jesus is perhaps skating on thin ice despite a relatively impressive return from an ACL injury. He has particularly good against Inter Milan in the Champions League when he scored twice at the San Siro.
|
Arsenal’s strikers in 2026 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Games |
Goals |
|
Gyokeres |
9 |
4 |
|
Havertz |
5 |
2 |
|
Jesus |
9 |
3 |
That said, he’s earning a bucketload in the English capital, taking home a reported salary of £265k-per-week, which makes him one of the best-paid players in the entire Premier League. He is also Arsenal’s third-highest earner. Havertz, for context, is their second-highest earner on £280k-per-week.
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The German has a few more years at the club left in him yet and his form throughout the back end of 2025/26 could well dictate where Arsenal decide to spend in the summer.
Since returning to full fitness at the turn of the year, he has been exceptional, particularly in recent weeks. Havertz burst back into the starting lineup when he scored and assisted last week against Kairat Almaty in Europe.
His performance against Leeds didn’t offer the same excitement but his cameo against Chelsea reminded supporters of just how good and indeed, just how important he is to Arteta’s system.
It was Havertz who scored the game-clinching goal. Played in by Rice, he took a beautiful first touch, danced around Robert Sanchez and tapped the ball into an empty net. The Arsenal players, substitutes included, raced over to him and with that, they had sealed their place in the final.
Havertz and Alvarez are different but they do share some key similarities. Not just content with scoring goals, they’re proficient chance creators too and enjoy playing in a second striker role. After all, Paul Merson described him as a “Bergkamp kind of player” a few years ago and he was perhaps one of the best we’ve seen in the Premier League at playing just behind the striker, rather than as the out-and-out number 9. Thierry Henry will testify to that.
They’re not your typical run-in behind striker like Gyokeres is, but they will link the play, bring others into the game and contribute to more phases of play.
Perhaps the prime example of this came during Argentina’s successful World Cup campaign in 2022. While Alvarez was selected as the 9, Lionel Messi’s lack of defensive ability meant it was the former Man City man who often came back into midfield to help defend and offer an extra body out of possession.
While Arsenal’s collective defensive efforts are very fairly split up and executed, it’s a role that mimics Havertz’s at Arsenal. He doesn’t play on the last shoulder but will hold things up and come deeper to collect the ball, lead the press and help defend.
It’s arguably why the Gunners have struggled playing with a more traditional striker in the form of Gyokeres. It’s simply not what they have been used to in recent years. Alvarez could offer more in behind than Havertz does, but the 26-year-old’s positional flexibility and adaptability are first-class. He’d be an exceptional signing but perhaps they already some of his main qualities in the German.
This summer will certainly be very interesting for Arsenal in the market.
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