Five realistic Arsenal forward targets as an alternative to Ollie Watkins | OneFootball

Arsenal have been dealt a blow in the transfer window with Aston Villa boss Unai Emery claiming Ollie Watkins is set to stay at the club despite interest from the Gunners.

Aston Villa rejected a bid from Arsenal for the 29-year-old and following the sale of another strike in Jhon Duran to Al Nassr, Emery confirmed Watkins would be staying.

“Yes, he is happy to stay,” Emery said. “We asked him how he is feeling and he is happy here.

“The commitment of Watkins is really a huge commitment to defend Aston Villa.

“He appreciates how Aston Villa was always supporting him and helping him. Also, when we joined two years ago, how we always tried to get the best of him.

“Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa in the last years. I am speaking with him a lot, he is always adapting with every circumstances we have and of course when some teams calling us being interested in the players it’s very good for us and the players.

“Some players prefer to leave and some accept to stay here and commit with our challenges. One of them is Ollie Watkins.”

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been clear in his ambition to bring in a forward before the transfer deadline following injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.

But who could they realistically sign as an alternative to Watkins? Here are five suggestions…

Mathys Tel

Arsenal reportedly hold interest in the Bayern Munich forward, along with Premier League rivals Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Given the competition, a deal for the 19-year-old would not be easy and Spurs have reportedly agreed a fee for the forward.

But could the Gunners hijack the move? His versatility, speed and potential make him very appealing.

Alejandro Garnacho

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim earlier stated his desire to keep Garnacho at the club, but with pressure from the profit and sustainability rules and United needing to back Amorim with signings of his own, could there still be a late twist?

Garnacho is more of a winger than a striker, but would add pace to the forward line and like Tel, has bags of potential to improve.

Evan Ferguson

Brighton are reportedly willing to let Ferguson leave the club before the transfer window shuts. Once touted as the Premier League’s next big striker, he has fallen out of favour somewhat and has reportedly attracted interest from plenty of Premier League clubs.

He is not the finished product but has plenty of years ahead of him and all the attributes to become a top forward.

Yoane Wissa

Thomas Frank has been clear that Brentford will not part with their best players this window unless a huge offer comes in. Wissa would not be cheap, but his form this season has been excellent, scoring 11 Premier League goals in 20 games.

He also has the versatility to play wider and is much more polished than some of the other names on this list.

Igor Jesus

The Brazilian striker was linked with Arsenal earlier on in the window. Currently playing for Botafogo in Brazil, he would likely take time to adapt and improve but his raw attributes are very exciting.