Why Arsenal interest in £86m Julian Alvarez is a transfer gamble worth taking | OneFootball

Former Manchester City star is of interest to the Gunners

Six months on from the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal find themselves back in a familiar position.

Instead, the 27-year-old has only provided another puzzle for Arteta to solve, looking lost for much of his Arsenal career so far and below the level of his team-mates around him.

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It is no surprise, then, that the transfer talk has sparked into life again. Once again, Arsenal are in a position where the position on the pitch seemingly most in need of an upgrade in individual quality is striker.

Julian Alvarez could be the man tasked with providing that improvement, should he prove keen on a return to the Premier League.

Arsenal are believed to have interest in the former Manchester City striker and there are suggestions Atletico Madrid could be willing to sell at the end of the season for a fee in the region of £86m.

Alvarez was one of those on Arsenal's shortlist last summer when they were in the market for strikers.

Sporting director Andrea Berta signed Alvarez for Atletico during his time at the Spanish club and he is said to now be eyeing the possibility of a move for the 26-year-old this summer.

Julian Alvarez impressed at Manchester City

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That is not particularly surprising. Arsenal still do not have a clear first-choice striker more than halfway through a season in which they are challenging for all major honours.

Gyokeres has nine goals in all competitions this season but has not scored a non-penalty goal in the Premier League for almost three months.

That led to Gabriel Jesus getting his chance to start against Manchester United on Sunday. The Brazilian struggled, though, and his future at the club is uncertain.

Jesus is out of contract at the end of next season and although he has publicly said he wants to stay, there is every chance Arsenal look to move the 28-year-old on this summer if they can get a decent fee.

Kai Havertz is probably Arteta's preferred option, but he has not started a match in almost a year due to hamstring and knee injuries.

There is a clear void to fill as a result and Alvarez is an exciting option.

He has Premier League experience after spending two seasons at City, a factor that feels particularly significant amid Gyokeres' struggles to replicate the form he showed at Sporting in England.

Alvarez finished with 17 and 19 goals in all competitions in those campaigns, respectable returns in a side dominated by Erling Haaland's output.

Viktor Gyokeres has been woeful

John Walton/PA Wire

He has four goals in six appearances in the Champions League this season and has impressed under Diego Simeone, largely playing as a second striker off Alexander Sorloth. The Gunners might hope that Alvarez playing off Gyokeres could help get the best out of both.

Alvarez is outperforming his xG this season, the kind of finishing Arsenal could really do with. Gyokeres has five league goals from an xG of 6.52.

Beyond just goals, Alvarez is also having more shots, registering more assists, making more passes, and creating more chances per 90 minutes than Gyokeres and Jesus.

Arsenal's attack looks at its most fluid when they have a striker dropping deep to combine with others and Alvarez would offer that, more in the mould of Jesus than Gyokeres.

It is too simple to say Alvarez would fix Arsenal's attack. So many of the Gunners' forward players are struggling this season and that points to it being a system that does not bring out the best in them.

Playing as the lone striker in this Arsenal set-up would be a tough challenge and Alvarez, in a slightly deeper role for Atletico, has not scored in La Liga since November 1.

Arsenal know as well as anyone that a sure thing does not exist in the transfer world, particularly up front. Interest in Alvarez feels as much about the shortcomings of their current options as it does about his strengths.