Arteta demands Arsenal replace one star with Brentford player ‘rated highly’ | OneFootball

Arsenal could reportedly look to sign Brentford striker Igor Thiago to replace Viktor Gyokeres after Mikel Arteta told the club he ‘needs a new number nine’.

Arteta starte summer signing Gyokeres on the bench against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday, despite his impressive performances in the semi-final against Atletico Madrid.

Kai Havertz started instead for Arsenal, who lost of the game 4-3 on penalties, and the Sweden international has now missed out on the starting XI in the Gunners’ last three matches to Havertz or Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus seems quite likely to leave Arsenal in the summer but Martin Keown and other pundits have highlighted the centre-forward and left-winger positions as the main two areas Arsenal need to improve.

And a well-known X account made up of ‘five elite reporters’ and over 700k followers has claimed that Arsenal has highlighted to the Gunners hierarchy that he ‘needs a new number 9 to elevate the team’.

The account wrote: ‘Exclusive. Igor Thiago rated highly. New number nine. Mikel Arteta is making it clear: Arsenal needs a new number 9 to elevate the team. The pressure is on, especially with Viktor Gyökeres, who turns 28 on Saturday and has no resale value.

‘The club’s owners thought they had a gem last summer, but that gamble hasn’t paid off. Now the focus shifts to Igor Thiago at Brentford, a player the technical team rates highly. Arteta knows that bringing in the right striker is crucial for our ambitions. It’s time to invest wisely and take Arsenal to the next level.’

Gyokeres has made some valuable contributions at Arsenal this campaign but there was an expectation that he might provide more goals than he has, especially in a title-winning side.

Giroud: ‘I think Arteta is doing the same with Gyokeres’

Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud thinks Gyokeres is being treated in a similar way to how Arsene Wenger looked after him during his time at the Emirates Stadium.

Speaking ahead of the Champions League final on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Giroud said: “Gyokeres for me is a great striker. When I first arrived at Arsenal, Arsene gave me time to adapt, his confidence, it was not easy because Robin van Persie had just left.

“I needed time and confidence. I think Arteta is doing the same with Gyokeres. I think he can fit well for Arsenal’s game.

“I don’t know if he will play in the final against PSG. PSG is the strongest team in Europe, they can defend, offensively they are very talented, but the thing is for the final against Bayern they defended really well too.”