Alexander Isak is Arsenal’s dream signing but there are six more realistic January striker transfer targets
ARSENAL’s desperation for more firepower was glaring in their FA Cup exit to Manchester United.
The Gunners produced 26 SHOTS in the third round tie but had just one goal to show for it as several players missed chances to win the match.
Striker Kai Havertz was guilty of missing the best two opportunities to win the game, and also saw his penalty saved in the shoot-out which proved decisive.
That has renewed talk that Arsenal need to sign a striker, with former forward Theo Walcott claiming things have gone a bit stale.
Walcott told BBC Sport: “It’s like everyone else has said before. Arsenal need a striker at this time because it would have been a completely different story.
“Arsenal have gone from being a free-flowing forward line, exciting the crowd, to going a bit stale. You need players to do something differently and they haven’t got that at the moment.”
Arsenal dream of signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle, and were linked with a move three years ago before he joined the Magpies.
But the Swede is now hot property after proving himself as one of the best goalscorers in the Premier League, so the Gunners could be priced out of a move with Newcastle valuing him at a staggering £150MILLION.
That means Arsenal will realistically have to look elsewhere this window, and SunSport has taken a look at six targets that could genuinely make the move to the Emirates this month…
Viktor Gyokeres
Another Swede, Gyokeres would certainly fit the mould after blossoming at Sporting.
He made the step up from Championship Coventry seamlessly and has 75 goals in 80 games in Portugal.
Gyokeres, 26, scores all types of goals including free-kicks and penalties, and his pace and power could devastate Prem defences in a style akin to Erling Haaland.
However Gyokeres is attracting plenty of attention and has been linked with a move to Manchester United to re-unite with Ruben Amorim.
Marcus Rashford
After being dropped by Amorim the United star looks to be on the way out this month, possibly on loan although £40m could be enough to lure him away permanently.
The likes of AC Milan and Juventus have been linked, while some reports have claimed Arsenal have also made contact.
The Gunners could do with a goalscoring left winger as Gabriel Martinelli has just six goals this season, while a move for Rashford, 27, could revitalise his career.
Victor Osimhen
Osimhen has long been linked with a move to the Prem with one of Arsenal, Chelsea or United his likely destination.
He made a shock loan move to Galatasaray in the summer but a hefty bid could lead Napoli to recall the striker before selling him on.
The Gunners reportedly turned down the chance to sign Osimhen in the previous window as he was too expensive, but with 18 months left on his deal Arsenal could negotiate a lower price.
Osimhen, 26, has 13 goals in 17 games this season and could be the focal point Mikel Arteta needs to start winning trophies.
Benjamin Sesko
The RB Leipzig striker ruled himself out of a summer move but with his side out of the Champions League after a disastrous six defeats in six games, he may be more open to a transfer this month.
Arsenal are well-known admirers of Sesko, 21, who continues to show an eye for goal in Germany.
He has found the net 12 times in 24 games this term, including three goals in Europe, and has time on his side to develop into a world class talent.
At around £50m he is more affordable than the previous targets mentioned, although his price will likely rise if he continues his rich vein of form.
Randal Kolo Muani
Kolo Muani, 26, has failed to match his £76m price tag since joining Paris Saint-Germain but his ability to play across the front three is exactly what Arsenal need, particularly with Bukayo Saka out injured.
He has scored just two goals but he is understood to be available on loan this month, and Arteta may believe he can get the best out of the Frenchman.
His signing could also give the Gunners the chance to get one over on rivals Tottenham, who have also been linked to Kolo Muani this month.
Evan Ferguson
Arsenal are reportedly targeting the Brighton striker for a move this month.
He has been linked with a loan switch to Fulham or West Ham but Arsenal could splash the cash to sign him permanently.
Ferguson has stagnated this season in front of goal with injuries causing him to have a stop-start campaign.
But he has previously been compared to Harry Kane and at 20-years-old he still has plenty of time to develop into a Premier League goal machine.
Arsenal's search for a striker
By Jordan Davies
WITH Thierry Henry in his pomp, Arsenal went 49 Prem games unbeaten from May 2003 to October 2004.
Over two decades on, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are in danger of seeing their season unravel in spectacular style after just one goal from 49 shots across two games.
The difference? Among other things, a world class scorer like club legend Henry who netted 39 league goals in that record-breaking 17-month stretch.
And if Arsenal are to relive the glory days of Arsene Wenger’s title-winning 2004 Invincibles this term under Arteta, money must be spent on something they have not had since Mr Va Va Voom strutted his stuff in North London.
A snarling, selfish, goal-getting machine to drag them over the line for major trophies.
That historic 49-game run 21 years ago was ended at the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in controversial fashion at Old Trafford thanks to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s emphatic penalty.
And in another spicy meeting between the two sides on Sunday, spot-kicks settled an FA Cup third round tie at the Emirates, this time ending with Joshua Zirkzee’s shoot-out-winning strike.
But in truth, Arsenal were their own worst enemies, and not for the first time, scoring just once from 26 shots having failed to find the net from 23 shots in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on home soil.
Kai Havertz wasted a hatful of glaring chances against a struggling 10-man United outfit fit for a true marksman in normal time before the German missed the crucial 12-yarder.
Arteta has insisted this current crop have an eye for goal, citing broken scoring records over the past two years – bagging more goals [114] in 2024 at their highest rate [2.28 per game] since 1963.
And according to the Spaniard, splashing the cash on a proper striker will NOT solve the problem, especially with injuries to key players blighting this campaign so far.
Gabriel Jesus is the latest crocked star – the Brazilian facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being carried off on a stretcher early on against United with a knee injury, while star man Bukayo Saka is set to be out until at least March following hamstring surgery.
Arteta reiterated again on Sunday: “I understand guys [signing a striker], but I cannot love our players more. And I focus very much on the ones that we have to perform at the highest level.
“That’s it. The rest is not in our hands, in my hands.”
But Arteta’s cries for calm and patience are falling on deaf ears, while piercing eyes are turning to co-owners Stan and Josh Kroenke to invest in one defining reinforcement.
Arsenal are economically in a good place, but there are currently not in a position to fork out over £100m for top target and Toon sensation Alexander Isak, nor are they willing to rip up their wage structure for a promising talent they like the look of in Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams.
Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Red Bull Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko are also admired, but they will not be cheap, and can they replicate their form from Portugal and Germany in the Prem?
A diamond in the rough who is affordable, under the radar and ready to hit the ground running right now in the toughest league on the planet is required.
Whether that exists in this market is another question entirely, something Arteta cannot blame on anyone else after prioritising other areas of his squad in recent windows.
And without that final piece to the puzzle, Arsenal are likely to fall short for a third-straight year, finishing second to an Erling Haaland-inspired Manchester City in both 2022/23 and 2023/24.
For all the progress and promise, this could very well be Arteta’s Achilles heel – one that ends up leaving an unwelcome stain on a tenure that has teased the fan base with a return to the summit of English Football.
Skipper Martin Odegaard – who missed a 72nd minute penalty with the scores at 1-1 – echoed the thoughts of most frustrated Arsenal supporters.
He said: “It’s not good enough. We could have been a bit sharper in front of goal, in the last pass, the last shot, the finish, the decision-making.”
Of course, Arsenal remain in with a shout of lifting silverware this term, even without an Henry-like figure leading the line.
The Carabao Cup final is within reach should they overturn a daunting score line at St James’ Park next month, their quest for the title is not out of reach, even if they remain six points off leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand, and their Champions League form has been promising.
Yet we are seeing cracks in the foundations that cannot go ignored, and a feeling it could all come crumbling down before too long.