The £130m star is now Arsenal’s “dream”.

Last summer, Andrea Berta had one goal in his first spell in charge of Arsenal. That was to sign a new midfielder.

At first, it looked like Benjamin Sesko’s move was planned. That was Mikel Arteta’s choice but instead, after seeing the money that might have been involved in a deal to bring the Slovenian to England, he opted for the cheaper and more proven Viktor Gyokeres.

While Arteta went along with the move, it was one that Berta ran in the end.

Have they found the right man? Well, the Gunners won the Premier League so it’s hard to argue with the business they did last year.

However, Gyokeres’ overall performance left a lot to be desired. It describes the links of the new strikers.

The £129 striker is now a mandatory transfer target for Arsenal

With Arsenal and Gyokeres not in a perfect marriage, it has led Arsenal to consider their options at the other end of the pitch.

Already this summer we have seen links to Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi and it would appear that he is a prime move for Arteta and Co.

The Frenchman was exceptional as the Cherries finished in the European places. No youngster has scored more goals (13) than Kroupi in his first Premier League season.

Alas, with an £80m to £100m asking price, that seems like an awful lot to pay for someone with just a year of top-flight experience under his belt.

Despite being expensive, Arsenal would really like to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid. There has been a lot of speculation about the Argentinian player this summer as the Gunners are reportedly already in talks with the player’s camp as they look at a move.

Real Madrid recently made a £130m bid to lure the striker to the Spanish capital but that was effectively laughed off. Atleti do not want to sell to another Spanish club that could open the door to a return to the Premier League.

Speaking about a possible deal, the BBC’s Sami Mokbel told the Latte Firm Arsenal podcast at the weekend: “Arsenal have a long-term interest in Julian Alvarez and that’s a deal they would love to do, it would be a dream acquisition for Arteta and Berta. If there’s any way Arsenal could see it happening this summer, that would leave the question over Gyokere.”

How does Alvarez compare to Viktor Gyokeres

If you judge Gyokeres based on goals alone, he has had a great first season in north London.

Sure, he may not have reached the heights he did in Lisbon, notably scoring 54 goals in 52 games in 2024/25 but he would never repeat that in England.

Instead, he found the net 21 times. He ended Arsenal’s title-winning campaign as the top scorer in all competitions. That’s not bad, is it?

However, with the Gunners looking for a top-class striker for several years now, it doesn’t sound like the Swedish star is the answer.

For a long time now, Arsenal have worked with a false 9 as their striker. Mikel Merino has enjoyed great success while playing as a temporary center forward and that is because he is similar in style to Kai Havertz.

For the most part, Germany has been chosen. He started the Carabao Cup final, started against Manchester City in the league and scored his first goal in the Champions League final.

It’s because, compared to Gyokeres, he brings more players into the game. Well, if they can get their hands on Alvarez, they could have a player who can not only assist but also score goals in general.

It wasn’t long ago that the Argentine star was described as “the best center in the world” by countryman and journalist Roy Nemer for his efforts during his first season with Atleti.

After leaving Manchester City behind, the 26-year-old scored 29 times for Atleti in 2024/25. He then added another 20 goals in 2025/26.

Like Gyokeres, Alvarez is a brutal finisher. His predatory instincts are some of the best in the world. However, in regular play, he simply offers much more than Arsenal’s number 14.

In context, when it comes to threatening the expectations in the constructive stages of play. Gyokeres ranks in the worst 20% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues in that metric while the former Man City man ranks in 9% of the same players.

One of the biggest criticisms leveled at the big Swede is his bowling ability. He completed 0.04 productive dribbles in 2025/26 and just 0.28 successful dribbles.

Alvarez, by comparison, finished 0.43 and 1.23 respectively. The 25-year-old is technically very secure. He is able to bring others into play with ease and knows where the back of the net is.

While it seems unlikely that Arsenal will ever sell Gyokeres just one year into his contract, it could be time to say goodbye to his place at the club if they get a deal with the Argentine over the line. In the words of Argentinian journalist Pablo Gonzalez, he is “a monster”.