📊 Comparing Arsenal's pathway for centre-forward investment | OneFootball

Arsenal are once again in the glare of the transfer spotlight as the capital club will fall short of ending their Premier League trophy drought thanks to Arne Slot's high-flying Liverpool.

Despite the best efforts from gifted tactician Mikel Arteta and a resilient Gunners outfit that felt the wrath of the injury bug which stripped them of much of their attacking talent, a third consecutive runner-up finish will have to do in North London for now.

But there is renewed hope among much of the fanbase after the club officially unveiled Andrea Berta as its new sporting director, with Arteta himself speaking on the immediate impact the 53-year-old brings with him from Atlético de Madrid.

And with the prevailing theory surrounding Berta's first remit at London Colney to be the man to get big deals over the line to push the club beyond the final hurdle, links to names surrounding questions at centre forward have already kicked off.

The London club already maintains known interest in Newcastle United and Swedish star Alexander Isak as well as RB Leipzig and Slovenia hotshot Benjamin Šeško.

However, the reintroduction of Sporting CP's Viktor Gyökeres into the striker debate in the wake of Berta's arrival points to a potential shift in transfer doctrine in the upcoming summer window.

While other names, such as Eintracht Frankfurt and France U21 hitman Hugo Ekitiké have also been mooted, the immediacy with which Arsenal needs to acquire a known quantity to lead the line at the Emirates points to one of the big three mentioned above.

In that light, we take a deeper look into the data surrounding Isak, Gyökeres, and Šeško, and what each of them brings to the table as Arsenal enters a period where done deals could potentially make or break the long-standing project under Arteta.

Havertz, Gyökeres, and Šeško

The pressures of competing at the very top of the Premier League pile often require a leading light in the number 9 role; something that Arsenal can boast only some of the time.

It is worth mentioning that Kai Havertz remains highly rated by Arteta and his staff, and that the entire package the German international has given the Spaniard on the tactics board remains difficult to fully replicate in a new signing.

But as highly rated as former Bayer Leverkusen wunderkind is, it remains clear that the long-standing hunt for a greater goalscoring presence is proof positive that something greater is desired.

Havertz has banked a lot of credit after his all-action performances for the club showcased the ability to press, drop deep, and affect game states in all phases of play.

On the other side of the coin, his inconsistency in front of goal, and downright poor decision making when big chances are presented to him, are often the difference maker when compared to others in the Premier League.

Manchester City's success behind Erling Haaland is undeniable, while the aforementioned Isak has helped Eddie Howe complete Newcastle's renaissance.

Liverpool cannot boast the same quality through Darwin Núñez, but the mere existence of Mohamed Salah offsets the poor return from the Uruguayan.

Returning to Arsenal, not since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's short stint with the club have they boasted a striker capable of challenging at the top of the goalscoring chart.

For base value, Gyökeres, and Šeško offer enticing profiles that no doubt would serve as a huge boon to Arsenal's attack, though only Isak can boast proven quality in England - a notion that surely has kept him as the white stag for the club.

Neither striker is a slouch when it comes to quality in the final third or the overall profile of the type of striker they represent. A small preview of some key data points easily supports that conclusion.

In the case of Gyökeres and Šeško, the "power forward" pair present themselves differently by comparison despite some similarities.

Šeško, while undeniably gifted, is far from the finished article and would require a fair bit of seasoning to reach a level that could, hopefully, push Arsenal over the line in a title race.

What the young Slovenian international does have in his locker is an incredible ability to strike a ball and an aerial threat that reminds many of Ronaldo's ability to attack a cross in the box. Šeško is a rough diamond, but he already boasts consistent goalscoring figures while also shining in the Champions League as well.

Gyökeres, though saddled with the label of featuring in a "lesser" league, is still a far more polished article with little surprise.

And while some may question if running rampant in Portugal can translate to the Premier League, his exploits in the Champions League are well documented, including a brilliant goalscoring display against Manchester City.

Thus, the question when comparing the Swede and the Slovenian is a simple one; should Arteta and Berta target a hopeful, plug-and-play goalscorer that would offer a much more immediate impact but possess little potential growth, or target a long-term option who arguably comes with a higher ceiling and a profile that can be moulded expertly to fit the club?

It is certainly a good problem to have, but one that Arsenal must find the correct solution for given the gravity of the task at hand in the pending summer window.

Alexander Isak; the Holy Grail

Ask any Gunners supporter who they truly want to see arrive north of the Thames this summer and the answer is unanimous; Alexander Isak.

In the wake of his migration from Basque Country to Tyneside, the Stockholm-born goalscorer has lit up the top flight of English football at a ground previously blessed with iconic forward names.

Figures that he has now surpassed by at least one metric after his latest goal against Brentford.

The standard bearer of Eddie Howe's work at St. James' Park, which recently culminated in the club's first trophy haul in well over fifty years, Isak is unquestionably the hottest property in the world at his position.

Not only is the former Borussia Dortmund and AIK youngster sought-after in England, but Barcelona remain keen as they look to source a long-term replacement for an aging yet still firing Robert Lewandowski.

When it comes to who the obvious summer acquisition is, the buck stops at Isak; a player who many Arsenal fans liken to club legend Thierry Henry.

Tall and silky on the ball when running at his marker(s), and with deceptive pace and ruthless efficiency in the final third that has already poured water on the Gunners' powder stores numerous times in the past, Isak would be a project-defining signing that would come with as close to a guarantee as one could receive when you slot him into a front three that would also include starboy Bukayo Saka.

One aspect of Isak's game that pushes him ahead of Gyökeres and Šeško is that Henry-esque ability to drift both on and off the ball and successfully take matters into his own hands if friendly supply lines are cut off.

This aspect of his overall profile matches the progressive carry zones that Arsenal often target and with the pace he possesses, this would offer an increased tactical ability for Arsenal to be far more fluid across the front three rather than orbit around a central figure.

Beyond that, Isak's differentiation in the type(s) of goals he is capable of scoring would greatly improve how the Gunners can leap on the attack. Particularly, being more direct than they currently are.

A throwback to a now-bygone era that saw Arsenal boast one of the most fluid teams in the final third anywhere in Europe would certainly have supporters brimming from ear to ear, but the mammoth price tag that is likely to be attached to Isak could prove decisive. And not in the way fans will ultimately want to accept.

In that light, increased links with Gyökeres serve as a breadcrumb for how the club may negotiate the summer landscape, which also lends credence to their ongoing interest in a possible move for Athletic Club's Nico Williams.

But it is hard to look away from a player who, more than any other the club could expect considerable resources on, as the holy grail signing ahead of a journey to the promised land.

All your eggs in one basket?

The biggest question surrounding Arsenal's summer is not just which striker they should sign, but also, if they ultimately have learned any lessons when it comes to squad building and management.

While no one can fault Arteta and his backroom staff when it comes to the ludicrous amount of injuries they have sustained during their campaign, a clear quality gap can be observed when one compares the club's preferred XI and depth in key positions.

To move for Isak would ultimately jeopardise Arsenal's spending power in the summer, but a player of his quality coming into the Emirates fold could well be the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle.

So too could Gyökeres, or even Šeško despite his age, and their respective price tags likely coming in at half of Isak's (if not more) affords the club brass the latitude to add quality across multiple positions, namely the aforementioned Nico Williams as well as Martin Zubimendi.

At the end of the day, a perilously important question must be answered in the capital.

Finding the right answer could genuinely bring an open-top bus parade, while choosing the wrong multiple-choice answer may prove unrecoverable.

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