2. Dušan Vlahović
Dušan Vlahović was heavily linked to Arsenal 18 months ago in a long protracted saga centred around his agent reportedly refusing to answer Arsenal’s calls before he signed for Juventus. However, after a promising start, the Serb’s move to Turin has not borne fruit.
Vlahović finished last season with 24 Serie A goals, with 17 for Fiorentina and seven for Juventus, but this season he’s notched just ten in 26 games, leading to reports he could be on the move this summer.
Arsenal are once again linked with Arteta still said to be keen, however many fans are hurt by the way the move fell through last time. In truth, fans need to get over it. Not every move happens as expected, and Vlahović is a top talent, who will add quality to the team.
Juventus paid a reported £62.8m for him, and are said to want to recoup that, which doesn’t seem unreasonable for a proven goalscorer who is still only 23 years old, and has a huge future ahead of him.
Continued on the next slide…
Jesus has led to the line to excellent effect, but concerns over his finishing continue to linger, along with the fact Arsenal currently do not have a plan B, and have a front three lacking height.</p>
<p>With Champions League football and increased expectations next season, greater strength in depth will be key, and the front line is somewhere that Arsenal could certainly improve.</p>
<h2><strong><em>3 strikers Arsenal could sign this summer</em></strong></h2>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thomas Frank: “Ivan Toney can be worth £100m in my opinion. What would you pay for a striker that guarantees you 20 plus goals? 20 goals for a mid table club, what can he do at a bigger club?”. 🔴✨</p>
<p>“He can mature like a fine wine”. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://t.co/PJMXPhZ660">pic.twitter.com/PJMXPhZ660
<p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1657202284265185281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>1. Ivan Toney</h2>
<p>Brentford’s Ivan Toney is the player who ticks the most boxes for Arsenal (apart from the fact he’s just been banned for eight months). He’s homegrown, Premier League proven with 12 goals last season and 20 this season, has just turned 27 and wouldn’t have to leave London.</p>
<p>He almost definitely won’t be slipping into his local Ladbrokes anytime soon either!</p>
<p>In recent years, Arteta has had a strong focus on buying within the Premier League, with Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard and Jorginho all proving successful signings, and Toney’s lack of adaptation time makes him an exciting prospect.</p>
<p>At 6’2, Toney is a towering presence in attack with only Ben Mee winning more aerial duels than him this season, with an impressive <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/aerial_won">109 won</a>. This would give Arsenal a different route to goal in each game, and his ability to play flick the ball on and bring others into play could unleash the pace of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in behind.</p>
<p>The real beauty of a player like Toney lies in his technical ability, which is crucial to play in the current Arsenal team. Despite his aerial dominance, he has a great touch and the composure to pick a pass, and he also frequently gets himself in scoring positions, which you would expect would lead to more goals in a highly creative team.</p>
<p>The England international, however, won’t come cheap – even if his ban does reduce his value somewhat this summer.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 Dušan Vlahović </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-134491 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1490184443-scaled.jpeg" alt="Dusan Vlahovic could be a striker Arsenal target after the 2022 transfer saga" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490184443-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490184443-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490184443-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490184443-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"></p>
<h2><strong>2. Dušan Vlahović</strong></h2>
<p>Dušan Vlahović was heavily linked to Arsenal 18 months ago in a long protracted saga centred around his agent reportedly refusing to answer Arsenal’s calls before he signed for Juventus. However, after a promising start, the Serb’s move to Turin has not borne fruit.</p>
<p>Vlahović finished last season with 24 Serie A goals, with 17 for Fiorentina and seven for Juventus, but this season he’s notched just ten in 26 games, leading to reports he could be on the move this summer.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🎙️| <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://twitter.com/GraemeBailey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@GraemeBailey on Dusan Vlahovic: “He really wants to come to England, the Premier League is a real option for Vlahovic.</p>
<p>“If you can give Juventus their money back they will take this deal. He could be the diamond in the rough here, if you get Vlahovic for €70m that could… <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://t.co/J6CpEPiNes">pic.twitter.com/J6CpEPiNes
<p>— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://twitter.com/ArsenalBuzzCom/status/1657059153267785745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 12, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Arsenal are once again linked with Arteta still said to be keen, however many fans are hurt by the way the move fell through last time. In truth, fans need to get over it. Not every move happens as expected, and Vlahović is a top talent, who will add quality to the team.</p>
<p>Juventus paid a reported £62.8m for him, and are said to want to recoup that, which doesn’t seem unreasonable for a proven goalscorer who is still only 23 years old, and has a huge future ahead of him.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 Rasmus Hojlund </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-134492 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1486374854-scaled.jpeg" alt="Rasmus Hojlund could be a tall, pacey striker Arsenal could target this summer" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1486374854-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1486374854-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1486374854-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1486374854-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"></p>
<h2><strong>3. Rasmus Hojlund</strong></h2>
<p>Rasmus Hojlund is a name that has been doing the rounds with top clubs this season, with the 6’3 Atalanta striker winning plaudits for his holdup ability, link-up play with his wingers, and his ability to race through on goal with his blistering pace and power.</p>
<p>Where Hojlund differs from Toney and Vlahović is that he is still just 20 years old and has only scored seven goals in 29 games this season, so he would very much be a project signing for Arsenal, but one who would likely cost a large fee.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rasmus Hojlund (20) & his hat trick. The last assist by Mohamed Daramy was 👌🏼 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://t.co/urdyJygvKo">pic.twitter.com/urdyJygvKo
<p>— Moby (@Mobyhaque1) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://twitter.com/Mobyhaque1/status/1639711404985929728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/18/3-strikers-arsenal-target-summer/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
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<p>Nevertheless, Hojlund’s talent means his value could quickly rise even if Arsenal are forced to spend big. This is certainly a riskier move compared to Toney and Vlahovic, but one with arguably a higher upside.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
