The 2024/25 campaign was a familiar tale of near misses and disappointment for Arsenal who completed a term without major silverware for the fourth season in a row.

The well-documented root of their issues was in the goal-scoring department where the Gunners lacked sufficient firepower, though the club seems determined to address their lack of cutting edge this summer.

Arsenal, who finished second in the Premier League for the third year running, scored just 69 times to title-winning Liverpool’s 84 last season, while Mikel Arteta’s side also lodged the lowest expected goals figure (59.9) in the division’s final top five.

In the Champions League, the story was similar and Arsenal were ousted by PSG in the semi-finals, despite besting the French giants for xG in both legs.

A reliable chance converter could have made a significant difference to Arsenal’s results on both fronts last season and might have transformed them from underdogs to favourites in outright betting markets.

The club has recognised that fact and signing a new specialist centre-forward has been made priority number one this summer, though Arsenal must choose between two players that have been dominating transfer markets since May.

Can Gyokeres fill the gap?

Swedish international and prolific Sporting CP frontman Viktor Gyokeres seems to tick plenty of the right boxes.

The 27-year-old is a mature, ready-made striker with strong physical attributes and a stunning track record since his move to Portugal in 2023.

Gyokeres scored an eye-watering 54 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions last season and nine times in six appearances for Sweden during their recent Nations League campaign.

From a statistical angle, Gyokeres has been posting incredible numbers across the board, ranking in the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions, touches in the attacking penalty area, progressive carrying distance, and progressive passes received for strikers across Europe.

Gyokeres is also believed to favour a move to Arsenal ahead of a lengthy list of other suitors, so what’s the catch? Why haven’t the Gunners pulled the trigger?

Well, scoring goals in the Primeira Liga and England’s Premier League are two different things entirely and that step up from one to the other has often been tough for strikers to handle – just ask Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.

Gyokeres’s physique makes him something of a unique, hard-to-handle proposition in Portugal, however, most of the defenders in England’s top tier are monstrous athletes and the Swedish striker would have to refine his game to compete.

Some have also suggested that Gyokeres might have already hit his ceiling at 27 and that he has little room for improvement at that age.

In addition, 19 of Gyokeres’s 54 goals (35.1%) last season were hit from the penalty spot, which provided a considerable boost to his numbers.

Indeed, Gyokeres finished the 2024/25 Portuguese campaign with a modest 21.4 in non-penalty expected goals, a figure that makes for less-than-impressive reading, while Gyokeres lodged just 18.7 in npxG the season before.

Nevertheless, Arsenal Sporting Director, Andrea Berta, is believed to be pushing for Gyokeres, however, Mikel Arteta is thought to favour a move for a different player entirely.

Benjamin Sesko the better fit?

Benjamin Sesko is a striker on a definite upward trajectory and at just 22 years old, the Slovenian fits the younger profile of players that have generally been targeted by Arsenal during Mikel Arteta’s rein in North London.

Sesko, who has honed his skills in the Red Bull system with RB Salzburg in Austria and RB Leipzig in Germany, scored just 13 times in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season, though his overall performance hinted at a well of untapped potential.

The youngster has long been tipped as a future world beater, while his goal tallies in all competitions for the last three seasons of 18, 18 and 21 show definite progression.

A package for Sesko is expected to be more expensive than a move for Gyokeres, however, punters contemplating a flutter on one of the latest transfer market betting offers should consider backing the Slovenian to make the switch to London.

Standing at 6’5” tall, Sesko has the stature to mix it with Premier League opponents, while his aerial prowess would make him a potent weapon during set piece routines – an area where Arsenal already excel.

Sesko, who only turned 22 in May, also has longevity on his side and would represent a smarter purchase from an investment perspective.

With ample room – and time – to develop, Sesko, in theory at least, could be equipped to lead the line at Arsenal for a decade.