Arsenal is in the fortunate situation of having few parts of the club that require improvement this summer as a result of their great achievement in the previous campaign.

Though Mikel Arteta’s team struggled mightily to score goals over the holiday season and finished the season five goals short of Manchester City, striker is definitely a position that supporters are demanding to be filled.

Thus, it is not surprise that the Gunners have been linked to a number of elite strikers over the past several weeks; nevertheless, in recent days, connections to Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth have intensified.

Nevertheless, despite the Englishman’s skill as a center-forward, a much superior candidate has been strongly suggested for a transfer to the Emirates.

Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker

Arsenal is still interested in Sporting CP player Viktor Gyokeres, according to a recent report from the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

Actually, the article says the Gunners are’very aggressive’ in their pursuit of the Swedish goal scorer, but it doesn’t explain what exactly that means or how much the North Londoners could have to pay for him.

But in recent weeks, many estimated prices have been floated, ranging from £67 million to £84 million, depending on the source.

Arsenal will ultimately have to pay a sizeable fee to secure Gyokeres’ services, but given his incredible form last season, he’s worth it and a considerably more exciting signing than Solanke.

How Solanke and Gyokeres are comparable

Thus, let’s begin with the most crucial metric of all when comparing these two excellent strikers: raw output.

In his 42 appearances for Bournemouth last season, Solanke scored 21 goals and provided four assists, meaning he produced a goal involvement on average every 1.68 games, and while that’s undeniably impressive, it pales in comparison to his competition.

For example, in his 50 appearances for Sporting last season, Gyokeres scored a whopping 43 goals and provided 15 assists for good measure, which equates to a staggering average of a goal involvement every 0.86 games, or 1.16 per game.

The one-sided nature of this comparison continues into the pair’s underlying numbers as well, with the Swedish “powerhouse”, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, coming out on top in the majority of relevant metrics.

For example, while he comes out second best for progressive passes and aerial duels won, he’s miles ahead for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, goal and shot-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.

In the end, neither Solanke’s production nor the underlying statistics favour Gyokeres in any way, which is why the Swedish goal machine would make a better addition to the Gunners this summer.

Thus, even if it means going broke, Edu Gaspar and company must make every effort to obtain his services in the upcoming weeks. He might be the player who makes North London’s Premier League return possible the following year.