“He’s clinical and something different” - Bacary Sagna urges Arsenal to sign ‘amazing’ 26-year-old forward

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has urged the club to think about renewing their interest in Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres, as per a report from Metro. The 26-year-old is currently playing for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal and has scored 13 goals in 13 games across all competitions this season.

Mikel Arteta has two prominent forwards in the form of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. While Havertz has been in excellent form early on in the season, Jesus is yet to leave a mark. Arsenal failed to win the Premier League in the last two seasons and in order to secure the accolade this season, they would need a top forward.

Bacary Sagna, speaking to Metro on behalf of Paddy Power said:

"I’d like to see Arsenal go for Viktor Gyokeres – he’s amazing. He’s a pure striker who would offer some depth to Arsenal. He’s also quite tall so whenever the team are out wide, they can cross the ball a bit more and that’s been missing a bit for me."

"They need to find a solution in and around the box but sometimes you just need to put it in the box. He’ll help them be dangerous from crosses and set pieces and in open play, he’s clinical and something different," he added.

Notably, Gyokeres, who scored 43 goals in 50 appearances last season for Sporting Lisbon, has a release clause of 100m Euros in his contract. The Portuguese outfit's president, Frederico Varandas, has been clear that an interested club would have to offer that fee to woo Gyokeres.

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Arsenal's current situation in the Premier League

Arsenal currently sit third in the Premier League table with 17 points from eight games. They have scored 15 goals, the same as table-toppers Liverpool but none of their players are in the top five in the goal-scoring charts.

The Gunners' top scorer is Kai Havertz, who has six goals across all competitions including four in the Premier League. Bukayo Saka has been their best assist-provider with seven. The 23-year-old, however, has scored just twice in the league this season.

Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, has played only 89 minutes in six top-flight appearances and is yet to register a goal or an assist. At such a juncture, bringing in a more natural centre-forward in Jesus' place might be the ideal solution for Mikel Arteta if he intends to win the Premier League.

Manchester City might be in second position but they have scored the most goals so far (19). Unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland leads the goal-scoring charts with 10 goals.