Arsenal face Darwin Nunez mistake with PROVEN Premier League star available

Robin Bairner

• 3 Apr 2024 07:00 BST
• 9 min read

Arsenal and Chelsea have got it wrong by chasing Viktor Gyokeres ahead of the summer transfer window: they should be going all out to sign Newcastle’s Alexander Isak instead.

Isak continued his electric Premier League form on Tuesday by scoring Newcastle’s opener in a 1-1 draw with Everton at St James’ Park.

It marked his 15th goal of the season in England’s top flight and was one of the best. Gathering possession out on the left, he drove into the box, skipped by a challenge and fired into the net.

Arsenal and Chelsea both claim to want a pure No.9 in the mould of Sporting CP’s Gyokeres, but Isak offers these qualities and more.

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In his second Premier League campaign, the Sweden international, 24, has already hit a personal best tally of goals. He managed 13 in a very creditable opening season but is running at far better than a goal every other game this time around. Isak is scoring at exactly the sort of rate Arsenal and Chelsea want from their leading striker.

Backers of Gyokeres would point to the fact that he has netted 22 league goals this season, yet netting in Liga Portugal offers little guarantee that rate can be continued in the Premier League.

Look at Darwin Nunez. Prolific at Benfica, he is little more than decent at Liverpool – and for a huge fee of €85 million.

Isak proven Premier League quality

The eye test is backed up by data analytics experts SciSports, which claims that there is only a “very slim” chance that Gyokeres will reach the level of his international colleague.

The 25-year-old has enjoyed rapid development this season, but there is no guarantee that would continue if he were to move to the Premier League.

SciSports notably predicts that Isak could become a key player in the current Chelsea squad.

Indeed, there are only a handful of Premier League strikers playing to a better standard this season.

READ MORE: Latest Arsenal transfer rumours

Would Newcastle sell?

Isak is one player who has been touted to be sold by Newcastle in the summer, with the Magpies facing the prospect of having to conform with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

Clearly, Eddie Howe’s men would not want to lose such a vital part of their squad, and even in the case they were forced to sell would demand a fee upwards of €100 million for the former Real Sociedad star.

But this is the ballpark figure that Gyokeres is expected to fetch via the release clause in his Sporting contract.

Isak, who is now Premier League-proven, is surely a better bet.