Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker in the January transfer window is proving to be a blessing in disguise. The strikers the Gunners were heavily linked with have struggled since the closure of the winter market.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Alexander Isak, and Jonathan David were all heavily linked with a switch to north London during the January transfer window. However, a deal for any of these players failed to materialise and now it seems that Edu has moved on to other transfer targets.
Arsenal fans were disappointed by the failure to bring in a striker during the winter window, especially after losing out on Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus. But, with the Gunners pushing for the Champions League with a place in the competition currently in their control, and the reported Arsenal January transfer targets struggling with form, it is proving to be a blessing in disguise.
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The Gunners were heavily linked to Isak, who is valued at just £58m by CIES Football observatory. But a deal never managed to get over the line in the January transfer window due to reported concerns over his £75m release clause.
Edu preventing the club from paying his release clause is proving to be the correct decision, as the Swedish striker has only scored one goal for Real Sociedad since the opening of the January transfer window.
Calvert-Lewin was another player who was strongly linked with a move to the club, but he scored his last goal in August of last year. This also means that Isak and Calvert-Lewin have now combined for 27 appearances without a goal from open play.
David was also heavily liked with a move to the Gunners. Arsenal’s interest in him dates back to his time in Belgium with Gent before he joined Lille in 2020.
Despite an excellent start to the season, David has struggled since the turn of the new year as he has only scored one goal in his last 14 games. He had an impressive Champions League knockout performance against Chelsea in February but was let down by the fact that he was unable to find the net.
With the poor form shown by Arsenal’s January transfer targets, it seems that Edu has moved on to targets who have shown more consistency in front of goal.
According to Italian news outlet La Gazzette Dello Sport , The Gunners have set their sights on Osimhen, and are currently in the lead when it comes to important Premier League clubs chasing his signature. The report also goes on to claim that Napoli are likely to demand £82m for the striker.
The Gunners are also hot on the tail for Jesus according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, and the Brazilian’s versatility means it would be ideal to sign both forwards at the end of the season.
Both Jesus and Osimhen would certainly be more desirable signings than the players that was linked with a move to the club in January. If Arsenal does manage to qualify for the Champions League next season, then Edu not signing a striker would certainly go down as a blessing in disguise.
