“He was the second-best striker in 2017” – Journalist says 28-year-old free agent ‘could be a good back-up striker’ for Arsenal

Italian journalist Daniele Fisichella has claimed that Andrea Belotti could be a good second-choice striker for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Belotti, who spent the last seven years at Torino, became a free agent on July 1.

On Monday, July 4, Premier League giants Arsenal announced the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. The Brazilian center-forward has joined the club on a five-year deal, with the Gunners paying City a sizeable £45 million in transfer fees for the player.

Jesus, alongside Eddie Nketiah, who recently signed a five-year extension with the Emirates outfit, is set to lead the team’s attack for the foreseeable future.

The Gunners have not been linked with any other striker this summer, but Fisichella believes Belotti could serve as a fine backup striker at the Emirates. Speaking on talkSPORT (via HITC), the Italian said:

“Belotti is the kind of player we always wondered in Italy, how good he might be on the international stage. He always played for Torino, for the last seven years and only one season he played in Europe for Torino. So he’s done very well in Serie A. He has scored more than 100 goals for Torino. He was the second-best striker in 2017. But his record with the Italian national team isn’t great either.”

He went on to add:

“Now, this is his opportunity. He’s very good in the box. Very physical, and can hold the ball well, we saw him at the Euros when we saw him coming off the bench, replacing Immobile, he always did a decent job. I am not sure in the Premier League, he can be a 20-goals-a-season striker, but certainly for a team like Arsenal or others, he could be a good back-up striker. Like on the bench.”

Belotti has spent the last eight seasons in the Italian top-flight Serie A, scoring 106 goals and providing 27 assists in 270 appearances across competitions.

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Arsenal unlikely to move for Andrea Belotti

As Fisichella has highlighted, Andrea Belotti indeed has the quality to excel as a backup striker at Arsenal. However, considering how well Nketiah performed at the end of the 2021-22 campaign (five goals in last seven starts), Arteta is unlikely to make his life unnecessarily complicated.

Only 23, Nketiah has enough room to improve his numbers and emerge as a potent source of goals for the Gunners. Signing Belotti could jeopardize his development, something no Gunner wishes to see.

Belotti’s talents should land him at a good club, but we are not confident of him finding a new home in the upper echelons of the English Premier League.