Arsenal can hand Arteta his own Isak-level signing in £100m Eze alternative
da dobrowin： This summer is shaping up to be one to remember for Arsenal.
da lvbet： The Premier League season is still over a week away from getting back underway, and Mikel Arteta has already got most of the players he would’ve wanted through the door.
Crucially, Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres are now with the team and getting to grips with what the manager wants them to do, as the former’s control and the latter’s goals could play a massive part in the Gunners’ fortunes next season.
With that said, there is still time for the club to go out and make another statement signing, and while Eberechi Eze has been the name in the headlines for the North Londoners, they might be better off going for another star they’ve been linked with, a star who’d be an Alexander Isak-level acquisition.
Arsenal's pursuit of Eze
There are still plenty of options on the market for Arsenal to bolster and improve their squad this summer, but it would be fair to say Eze seems to be the player Arteta and Co are most interested in.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
There were links to the Englishman as far back as last summer, but they really began to pick up steam earlier this window.
It was several weeks ago that we learned the North Londoners had been in contact with the player and his camp. Shortly after, it was revealed that he was set on moving to the Emirates.
However, the Crystal Palace star has a release clause worth around £67.5m in his current contract, and according to reports from late last month, the Eagles want at least £30m of it in an upfront payment.
Understandably, the Gunners aren’t particularly keen on spending such a sum of money in one go this summer, and are now waiting until the release clause expires on August 15th to make their move.
It could end up being quite the complicated transfer to get over the line, so instead, Arsenal might be better off going all out for Morgan Rogers in an Isak-esque deal.
Why Rogers would be an Isak-level transfer
Now, while Rogers is not being heavily linked with Arsenal at this moment in time, he has been touted for a move to the Emirates multiple times already this summer.
In fact, the Aston Villa star has been touted for moves to several sides since the window opened, although with a price tag of potentially up to £100m, it would be a difficult transfer to get over the line.
Moreover, this lofty price is one of the many reasons Rogers’ potential move could be described as being Isak-like, as at the moment, it does feel like the Newcastle United star could be on his way to Liverpool for anything from £120m all the way up to £150m.
Another key similarity is that, like the Magpies’ superstar striker, the former Middlesbrough gem is undoubtedly one of Villa’s most important players, and just as his exit would seriously damage their team, his arrival would massively bolster the Gunners.
For example, in 54 appearances last season, totalling 4496 minutes, the Halesowen-born “machine,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob, put the ball in the back of the net 14 times and provided 15 assists for good measure.
Rogers in 24/25
Appearances
54
Minutes
4496′
Goals
14
Assists
15
Goal Involvements per Match
0.53
Minutes per Goal Involvement
155.03′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
That means the 23-year-old game-changer was able to maintain a goal involvement every 1.86 games, or every 155.03 minutes, which is a supremely impressive effort, especially as just a couple of years ago he was plying his trade in the Championship.
Finally, while he’s not won anywhere near as many caps as the Swedish international, the phenomenal Villa star is starting to become a regular in senior English squads and has already won six caps, with plenty more on the horizon.
Ultimately, it would be a seriously difficult and costly transfer to get over the line this summer, but if the Reds are able to sign Isak, then we see no reason why Arsenal couldn’t pull off a comparative deal for Rogers.
Related Saka & Rodrygo hybrid: Arsenal in contact to sign "amazing" £61m sensation
The talented international would add some real class to Arsenal’s squad.
2