Arsenal may not have had a trophy at the end of the season, but they proved they were here to stay by pushing Manchester City to the final day of the Premier League and advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals.
As has been the case for years, Bukayo Saka was one of the true standouts on Mikel Arteta’s team, even if there were star players on the club.
Despite not having a reliable number nine in the lineup, the Englishman enjoyed his finest season to date in terms of goals and assists; however, according to recent sources, that may be about to change.
Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker
A recent report from Spain claims that Arsenal’s summer goal is to sign Inter Milan star Lautaro Martínez.
According to the source, the Argentine has drawn interest from other Premier League teams. If he doesn’t sign a new contract, his existing contract has a termination clause that will make him available for about €110 million, or £94 million.
Stan Kroenke would have to make a significant financial commitment to the squad, but given Martínez’s incredible performance in the past several seasons, it would be well worth it, especially if he could elevate Saka to a whole other level.
Why Martínez would make Saka an ideal teammateMartínez would make a great teammate for Saka for two reasons, the first of which is very obvious: his objectives.
The World Cup winner, who famous football podcaster Angelo Valdes referred to as “the best 9 in the world,” scored 27 goals in 44 appearances for Inter last season, which meant he scored a goal every 1.6 games on average.
His remarkable total would place him above Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz as Arsenal’s highest goalscorer. This would also enable the Englishman add to his already excellent total of 14 assists.
That gets us to the second reason the 26-year-old would make the Hale End jewel a fantastic teammate: his inventiveness.
Although his main responsibility at the San Siro is to finish passes from teammates, the former Racing Club prospect also creates plenty of opportunities for others to score, having notched up 18 assists over the previous two seasons.
He would be the ideal striker for the Gunners’ poster child, who has significantly improved his goal-scoring skills over the past few seasons and now has 58 senior goals in 226 appearances thanks to his ability to play playmaker.
In the end, signing Martínez would definitely require a big financial commitment, but given how well he has performed recently, it would probably be worthwhile. Furthermore, his possible link-up play with Saka might be the deciding factor that helps Arsenal cross the finish line and snap their two-decade title drought in the upcoming campaign.