The Premier League season is underway and Arsenal under Mikel Arteta have started where they left off last season with an impressive 2-0 win against Wolves. The starting XI had a familiar look to it with the Gunners’ only signing of the summer – Riccardo Calafiori not yet being given his debut.
Against Gary O’Neil’s side, Arteta started Kai Havertz as the #9 and the German came out from the game with a goal and an assist against his name. If that game was an audition for the 25-year-old whether he can be the starting striker going forward this season, it’s safe to say that he passed it with flying colours.
Despite Havertz’s brilliance against Wolves and Gabriel Jesus also waiting in the wings, Arsenal continue to be linked with a move for a new number nine. Let’s not forget that Eddie Nketiah is still in the squad too but the English youngster is expected to be moved on. Nottingham Forest had shown interest in signing the 25-year-old.
Interestingly, Forest have also registered interest in signing Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, having already submitted a £21m+ bid for him. The Eredivisie club on the other hand are asking for around £30m to part ways with the 23-year-old. Interestingly, Arsenal have also registered interest in signing Gimenez this summer.
What does Santiago Gimenez offer?
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The 1.83m Mexican striker is as conventional as a #9 can get. He is left-footed and has a clinical finish. He has scored 53 goals and provided 13 assists in 89 games for the Dutch side and was a crucial facet of Arne Slot’s team. He has a huge ceiling in the game and it’s a matter of time before he ends up at a top club.
The Mexican was the focal point of Arne Slot’s attack during his time at Feyenoord. Slot helped develop the 23-year-old into an ace striker who is the envy of the Dutch top flight. His goalscoring exploits make him a match winner and Arsenal & Nottingham Forest have now gotten themselves into the act.
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If the Gunners were to try and sign Gimenez this summer, he would offer something very different to the options Arteta has in the squad. Is he a 25-goal-a-season striker, it’s too early to say. However, he has the potential to become just that and become our answer to Man City’s Erling Haaland.
Should Arsenal not make a striker signing by the end of this window, Kai Havertz is perfectly capable of being the #9 in our system. The German seems to understand his game better than ever and there is hope that the German can find new heights he hasn’t hit before to help us in clinching the Premier League title this time around.
