Would Real Madrid's Jovic be a good signing for Arsenal?
Cameron Smith
- 1 Nov 2021 13:43 GMT
- 4 min read
It wasn't so long ago that Luka Jovic was considered one of Europe's most promising and exciting players.
At Eintracht Frankfurt, he had scored a combined 27 goals in the Bundesliga and Europa League, adding six assists along the way as well, all while not playing for one of Germany's biggest clubs.
Plucked out of Benfica, Frankfurt only signed Jovic permanently just two months before Real Madrid shelled out a reported €60 million to acquire his services.
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Thrown straight in at the deep end, Jovic joined Los Blancos aged just 21, but was never given much of a chance. Karim Benzema was the main man with Cristiano Ronaldo gone, and the Frenchman was rarely challenged for a place in the starting XI.
In fact, Jovic started just four league games during his first season in Spain, a rate that didn't improve the following year.
After playing just 149 La Liga minutes in the 2020/21 season, he re-joined Frankfurt on loan for the second half of the season, scoring four goals in eight starts. It wasn't the rate he was at previously, but it was an improvement on his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, upon returning to Real Madrid ahead of this season, Jovic found himself back on the fringes, and with Benzema in such terrific form, it's perhaps no surprise to see the Serbian striker failing to make a dent on the starting XI.
It's clear that he needs to revitalise his career elsewhere, and a move away seems destined to occur soon, or Real Madrid will continue losing money as his value steadily decreases.
The one problem is that his contract doesn't expire until 2025, so it may cost a little more than is justifiable to sign the forward.
Even so, reports from Spanish outlet Fichajes state that Jovic has asked to leave Real Madrid, and join a new club in order to kickstart his career.
This has alerted several clubs, all of whom have been keeping tabs on Jovic ever since that electric final season in the Bundesliga.
One club who are said to be sniffing around are Arsenal, who very clearly have a centre-forward at the top of their shopping list and are extremely interested in the player, according to the Daily Express.
Why are Arsenal interested in Jovic?
Well, first of all, the Gunners are preparing to lose two senior forwards next summer, and so they're scouting around for replacements.
The pair in question are Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, both of whom will be out of contract at Arsenal come next summer, and both of whom simply aren't first choice under Mikel Arteta.
Signing at least one striker is, therefore, a priority, especially given Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's age.
Aubameyang may have started the 2021/22 season fairly well, but last year was his worst goal-scoring season for Arsenal. He netted just 10 league goals, a shadow of the 22 he managed the season prior.
Now 32, it's perhaps no surprise that his form is a little more inconsistent, and subpar at times, but it does mean an able replacement is needed. Lacazette may be benched right now, but the striker Arsenal sign needs to be able to start week-in, week-out.
Jovic is lacking match fitness, for sure, and his current talent level is a slight mystery, but the evidence from his Bundesliga suggests he's more than capable of leading the line for Arsenal.
Both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ollie Watkins are being looked at by Arsenal, but with the price of English talent sky-high, Jovic could be a shrewd, intelligent option.
He is reportedly being observed by Arsenal, and with Real Madrid not using him, they would be inclined to sell for slightly cheaper than a different club, simply to get him off the wage bill.
Jovic would also fit the age profile of Arsenal's recent signings, and the squad building that has taken place over the past 18 months.
The Serbian may not be the ideal choice, but if the Gunners can negotiate a fair price, it's worth the risk, simply because of how good he can be.
