Henry wants ‘dream’ Alvarez-Gyokeres partnership as Arsenal urged to torpedo swap plans | OneFootball

Thierry Henry has urged Arsenal to be cautious about swapping Viktor Gyokeres for Julian Alvarez, instead wanting a “dream” partnership of the two strikers.

The Gunners have had Alvarez in their sights for a while. Having just won the Premier League and finished runners-up in the Champions League, the signing of the elite striker could help to build an era of dominance.

Reports in Spain, including by Cope, suggest Atleti are open to the transfer, should Arsenal striker Gyokeres, and a fee potentially surpassing £50million, be included in the deal.

That openness to do a deal in Spain could give the Gunners a perfect shot at securing one of the world’s best strikers, who’s already had success in England, with Manchester City.

Henry wants dream partnership

But Arsenal legend Henry doesn’t feel they should do it, instead hoping for a way to have both men in the same attack.

He said: “If you ask me whether Arsenal should swap Viktor Gyokeres for Julian Alvarez, I understand why people are talking about it. Alvarez is one of the most complete forwards in world football today. He can press, create, score, play between the lines and make everyone around him better.

“I’ve said before that I really like his game because he can do almost everything a modern number nine is asked to do.”

“But football isn’t played on paper. Gyokeres gives Arsenal something different — power, presence, aggression and goals. He’s the type of striker defenders hate facing. If you’re talking about a straight swap, I’d be very careful because you’re not just exchanging players, you’re changing the identity of your attack.

“Now, if Arsenal somehow ended up with Alvarez, every fan would be excited because he’s a world-class talent. But my question would be: why give away a striker who has already proven he can lead the line for you? Great teams don’t always replace quality with quality; sometimes they add quality to quality.

“For me, the dream scenario would be finding a way to have players of that level in the same squad. That’s how title-winning teams become dynasty teams. If I were Arteta, I’d think long and hard before letting Gyokeres leave, even for a player as special as Alvarez.”

Should Arsenal not include an expensive player in the deal, then meeting Atleti’s demands might be tough. But were they able to land Alvarez in the same squad as Gyokeres, the differing approaches could add to the potential success of the side.