Arsenal’s bargain Osimhen and Gyokeres alternative could light up the Premier League

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 27 Jul 2024 18:18 BST
• 5 min read

Arsenal have spent much of the summer transfer window chasing a new striker.

Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen have been followed by the Gunners, and continue to be, but with price tags around or over the €100 million mark, Mikel Arteta’s side have not been tempted into a deal.

Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson, meanwhile, are both linked with moves away, and while a deal with Marseille for the former appears to be stalling because of the Gunners’ €50m asking price, Arsenal can secure a long-term upgrade in this area by offloading the 25-year-old.

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Current ETV

Vitor Roque

F (C)

Barcelona

Vitor Roque

F (C)

Barcelona

€37.4M

ETV Range

€28.1M - €46.8M

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Barcelona may not have put Vitor Roque on the market, but there is a very real prospect of the Brazilian teenager departing this summer. There have been rumours in the Catalan press that he could leave to the Saudi Pro League for a fee matching the €40m Barca paid for him in January.

This is an opening that Arsenal could profit from, not least because the teenager’s Estimated Transfers Value (ETV) stands at €37.4m – around the price the Catalans are willing to accept.

Vitor Roque is, after all, as suited to play at the Emirates Stadium than he is at Barcelona, according to data analytics experts SciSports.

Vitor Roque's ideal clubs

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Although there is less prospect of playing time – something that might frustrate the 19-year-old in the short term – the Gunners are given a five-star rating when it comes to the youngster developing his game. Barca, on the other hand, are given only two.

So if a move to the Emirates would be beneficial for the former Cruzeiro star, could he enhance Arteta’s squad?

Vitor Roque to Arsenal: A smart fit under the right conditions

The answer is a resounding yes, although there is a catch. Vitor Roque has a SciSkill – a score given by SciSports to every player based on hundreds of in-game data points – of 78.1 whereas Nketiah, who is the player he would naturally replace, is rated at 93.1.

Nketiah, though, is close to his peak. SciSports estimates that he could reach 103.5, which to put into context is roughly the same as former Manchester United striker Anthony Martial, who is now a free agent.

Vitor Roque, on the other hand, has the capacity to reach a score of 117.9, putting him into the bracket of potential first-team starter for Arteta’s side.

Equally, it’s also worth considering that the Gunners have lost one of their best young prospects in Chido Obi-Martin, a player who would have been considered a potential future No.9 at the club. His decision to leave has blown open the door for another young striker to take up that role. Why not Vitor Roque?

Potentially the biggest drawback for Arsenal in completing a move for Vitor Roque at this point of the window, however, is that a €30m transfer fee would fuel Barcelona’s pursuit of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams – a player that the Gunners would love to sign.

Though Barcelona have been bullish over a move for the Spain star, there are still very real questions over whether they can afford a deal. Selling Vitor Roque could be one way to unlock this deal.

As such, this is one for Arsenal to monitor as the window progresses.

If they cannot land one of their top targets, the highly rated Brazilian teenager should seriously be considered.