There exist strikers on the continent that Arsenal will be following very closely considering the situation of their current enlistment of forwards.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has just over a year remaining on his deal but fellow strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will leave the club this summer should their current contracts not be renewed by Arsenal.
With no expectation of these renewals taking place, it makes sense that technical director Edu working alongside manager Mikel Arteta, as was the case in the summer, would already be planning ahead and assessing the available options that the club could pursue. Ideally with the aim of securing the Gunners’ number nine for the foreseeable future.
One player who has surfaced as a target of several of Europe’s elite is Red Bull Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi.
The Arsenal Way recently covered a list of Salzburg starlets that the Gunners should work harder to attempt in luring to north London and Adeyemi featured prominently on the ranking.
However, links to Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona stand in Arsenal’s way of acquiring one of the most highly coveted forwards on the planet.
Having followed a long line of goalscorers from Salzburg which includes names such as Erling Haaland, Munas Dabbur, Sadio Mane and Jonathan Soriano, the continent’s elite are more than aware of the potential of the Austrian side’s talent pool.
However, the Gunners have been given a slight boost in regard to competing with La Liga heavyweights Barcelona with the German international receiving advice in favour of a move to Arsenal.
Italian journalist Di Marzio, who previously reported on Arsenal’s interest in Dusan Vlahovic, said in an interview with Wettfreunde that the Salzburg star would be better off choosing the Gunners over Xavi Hernandez’s new project in Catalonia.
“I think he would be a better fit for Arsenal than Barcelona,” he said.
“The style of play in Barcelona is different from that in Arsenal. And if I had to imagine him in one of those clubs, I would say Arsenal because that fits better into his style of play.”
Both Arsenal and Barcelona have experienced their own struggles in recent times but under Arteta and Xavi both clubs appear presently on the rise.
Memphis Depay’s presence at Barcelona would present a trickier obstacle for Adeyemi to overcome than the ageing Aubameyang, whose form has grown increasingly concerning.
He would join a group where young players are given plenty of chances. Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have all scored in the Premier League this season and Adeyemi could form a long-lasting partnership with the group.
Should Arsenal want the striker they will need to move fast considering the interest of so many others. However, there remains the question of whether Arteta would favour pursuing a player further along in their development to decrease to associated risk with signing a player so young for such a key role.
January could be too soon to reinforce in such a crucial position. The summer appears the more likely period for the Gunners to act but it could be too late by then with regard to Adeyemi.
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