Arsenal are desperate to land a striker before next week’s transfer deadline and have seen multiple offers for Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins rejected.
The Gunners had a £60 million bid for Watkins rejected by Aston Villa who were left frustrated with the timing of the offer, as they were engaged in negotiations with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr over the potential sale of Jhon Duran. They now look unlikely to land the England international as Villa are close to selling Duran to Al-Nassr, and losing a second striker would be catastrophic for Unai Emery.
With the Villans now reluctant to sell Watkins, Mikel Arteta have started exploring alternative targets in the final days of the winter transfer window. Arsenal are reportedly planning to push for either RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko or Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, as Arteta aims to bolster his squad’s attacking unit.
Arsenal shift focus to alternative targets after failed Ollie Watkins move
Arsenal have been in pursuit of attacking reinforcements in the winter window in the wake of injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. Arteta has already emphasised the need for additional attacking options, citing a lack of goals and depth to cover different competitions.
Kai Havertz remains the club’s top scorer in the Premier League with eight goals despite not being a natural No.9. While Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have chipped in with crucial goals too, adding an out-and-out striker to Arteta’s Arsenal could make a huge difference.
After Watkins’ failed pursuit, the North Londoners have lined up alternative targets in Dusan Vlahovic and Benjamin Sesko. Vlahovic has lost his starting place to Randal Kolo Muani—new recruit from PSG on loan—but even before the Frenchman’s arrival, Juventus were open to bid goodbye to him. The Serbian international doesn’t fit in Thiago Motta’s system and could be allowed to leave Juventus before the transfer window slams shut.
As for Sesko, the young striker has always been Arteta’s priority target. RB Leipzig’s elimination from the Champions League may yet open the door for a potential exit, even if the Bundesliga side are not keen to reducing the player’s asking price.
It is now or never for Arsenal as time is currently their enemy. A striker is an absolute necessity after losing Jesus and Saka to long-term injuries. It will be intriguing to see if they can land one of Vlahovic or Sesko, or make an audacious improved bid for Watkins in an attempt to lure him to the Emirates Stadium.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
