Arsenal target Ligue 1 striker BETTER than Mbappe

Robin Bairner

• 27 Apr 2023 13:59 BST
• 8 min read

Arsenal’s summer pursuit of a centre forward is set to see them turn to Ligue 1, where they are keeping tabs on a No.9 who is performing better than Kylian Mbappe this summer.

According to Fichajes, the Gunners are one of several sides keeping close tabs on Lens forward Lois Openda, who is leading his club’s unlikely charge for a place in the Champions League next season by scoring eight goals and creating two more in the last six games. Overall this term, he has 17 goals in 32 league outings – none of which have been penalties.

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Several other Premier League clubs are watching the 23-year-old Belgium international striker, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that Leicester have made a concrete move for the player. With the Foxes in the thick of a relegation battle, though, it is unlikely they would be able to tempt a player at a club that could be playing Champions League football next season.

Arsenal would naturally offer a more attractive option, while former Gunners boss Unai Emery is also watching the player as he seeks more firepower next term. Equally, the north London side are also tracking Villa’s Ollie Watkins, which could create a void that Openda might be needed to fill.

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Openda’s devastating Ligue 1 form

Openda might have caught fire lately but his performance over the course of the season has been strong, as demonstrated by data analytics experts SciSports, who show that only two forwards have performed better than him as a centre-forward in Ligue 1 this season, as demonstrated above.

Only PSG star Messi and Monaco striker Wissam Ben Yedder have played better in the role than Openda this term. Among the players he is outstripping this term are Mbappe, former Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette and ex-Gunners transfer target Jonathan David.

Equally, this has been reflected in Openda’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), which is presently €29.5 million, which has risen from €7.6m at the beginning of the season.