To say Alexandre Lacazette is having a tough time at Arsenal finding the next this season would be something of an understatement.
With four goals in the Premier League and not even a single shot on target from open play in over 1,000 minutes, Lacazette’s goalscoring form has been a major issue for Arsenal in what is now becoming their desperate attempt to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Whilst Lacazette’s attributes as a link-up player has been invaluable for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, there’s no denying the Gunners need a true striker to lead the line next season.
With that in mind, who are some players Arsenal were close to signing in transfer windows gone by, and how badly have the north London side bottled it in not working hard enough in trying to sign a world-class striker to lead the line?
Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe’s breakthrough season at AS Monaco was something of a revelation, and Arsenal were, surprisingly, one of the leading sides to sign the French sensation in the summer of 2017.
With Arsene Wenger revealing that he almost signed the now £166m PSG star for free when he was a youngster and met with the striker in the transfer window before Mbappe’s move to Paris, Arsenal were on the cusp of signing one of the best players in world football.
Luis Suarez
Arsenal’s transfers under Wenger were often shrewd, to say the least, so when it was discovered that Luis Suarez had a release clause at Liverpool worth around £40m in 2013, the iconic French manager launched an offer for the striker of £40m… and £1.
The infamous transfer offer was, as you expect, rejected swiftly by Liverpool, with Suarez that season going on to become a freak in the Premier League, scoring a ridiculous 31 goals in 33 games, winning the attacker an £80m move to FC Barcelona.
Gonzalo Higuain
Arsenal’s offer for Suarez was in large part inspired by their failed attempt to sign Gonzalo Higuain, with the Guardian even reporting that a move was all but agreed for £23m. However, no such transfer materialised.
Talks eventually broke down and Higuain instead headed to Napoli, where the Argentine striker broke multiple records for the Serie A side before making an Italian league record move to Juventus, where the striker’s form ultimately fell off.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Mbappe, Suarez, Higuain, surely things can’t get worse for Arsenal, right? Step forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, quite literally the highest-scoring player in the history of professional football and the winner of five Ballon d’Ors, second only to Lionel Messi, another player who was reportedly close to joining the Gunners.
Just like Mbappe, Wenger has previously stated that he was close to signing the Portuguese phenom at a young age, before Manchester United ultimately won the race for the attacker and the rest, they say, is history.
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