Arsenal seemed to solve their striker problems in the summer transfer window by signing Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian has been excellent in leading the line for the Gunners and is a major reason why the north London side currently sit at the top of the Premier League table.
Despite this, links have resurfaced between Arsenal and Dusan Vlahovic. According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, the Gunners are monitoring the striker and could make a move for him in January.
The report goes on to claim that Edu is set to try and make up for the missed opportunities of signing a central midfielder and forward in the summer by plotting a £100million double transfer swoop for Juventus stars Vlahovic and Fabio Miretti. However, Arteta has already revealed why Vlahovic will not become an Arsenal player.
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While Vlahovic has certainly been excellent for Fiorentina and Juventus over the last 18 months, this still is not enough to warrant such a major deal. He is still only 21-years-old and has yet to play on the biggest stage of football in terms of a consistent run in the Champions League or a major international competition, so he should still be considered as unproven.
In 2020, Mikel Arteta said in an interview with Ian Wright that he should not have to do too much convincing for a player to join Arsenal otherwise he would not sign them, and with so much reluctance on Vlahovic’s end previously, he is going against what the Spaniard claimed.
The Gunners were heavily linked with a move for Vlahovic in January, but he eventually made the switch to Juventus over Arsenal. After the snub, Arteta appeared to take a swipe at the Serbia international, stating: “We only want the best people and the best players at this club and when we are in a rush or different pressures, and the reasons are not the right ones to get a player on board, we decided not to do it."
Serie A is also an entirely different league compared to the Premier League in terms of style of play, so there is no guarantee that the Serbian would achieve the same success. You would also have to factor in the adaptation period, which Arsenal can’t afford to give time to, as the striker position is already being well covered by Jesus.
In the first three games of the Premier League this season, according to Squawka, Jesus had the highest expected goals (xG) in the division, alongside the most goals and assists, the most touches in the opposition box, and the most take-ons completed. The Brazilian had been completely dominant in his opening matches as an Arsenal player.
Jesus has had an excellent start to the season under Mikel Arteta, scoring two goals in his first home game for the Gunners against Leicester. And it is because of his explosive start that he had been named Arsenal’s player of the month for August. His dominant first month has led to him scoring four goals in total since the beginning of the season and his has also provided three assists, which puts him joint third in the league behind Bukayo Saka and Kevin De Bruyne.
Vlahovic certainly would have been a good signing for the Gunners. But, Arteta has already proven why the Serbian striker is no longer the correct profile going forward.
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