Arteta told to sign Osimhen in January DOUBLE swoop

Robin Bairner

• 13 Dec 2024 08:00 CST
• 3 min read

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been told to strengthen the Gunners attacking January by splashing the cash to make a double swoop that will have their Premier League rivals quivering.

Club legend Emmanuel Petit has said that Arsenal need more attacking options if they are to overhaul Liverpool at the top of the standings.

With this in mind, he has claimed that the Emirates side need a striker who can grab them 30 goals a season, while he has also suggested an upgrade in the left-wing area.

Speaking to TalkSport, World Cup winner Petit said: “I think Arsenal needs one or two more players, especially up front and maybe on the left flank to make rotations and to bring more qualities as well.

“They need a really, really good striker that can score goals because I really like Kai Havertz, sometimes Gabriel Jesus can do the job. But a typical striker that can score 20, 30 goals per season, this is exactly what Arsenal needs.”

Osimhen and Leao to Arsenal

Petit has called on Arsenal to go all out for Victor Osimhen, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli and subject to transfer interest from the Gunners in the summer, and AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.

“I really like Osimhen,” Petit said. “I think he's on the radar of Paris Saint-Germain as well. I like Leao from AC Milan. They are different players but they are performing well at their clubs.

“It's quite difficult in transfer windows, especially in January, to bring in big names.

"But with the new format of the Champions League, who knows? Maybe something can be possible.”

Compared

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

VS

Rafael Leão

F, M (L)

Milan

Rafael Leão

F, M (L)

Milan

€57.1M	ETV	€63.9M
€42.8M - €71.4M	ETV Range	€47.9M - €79.9M
25 years old (29 Dec, 1998)	Age	25 years old (10 Jun, 1999)
Nigeria	Nationality	Portugal

Osimhen, if he could be prised away from Galatasaray, would likely cost around €70 million in January, while Milan’s asking price for Rafael Leao in the summer was €125m, though this will have dropped after an average start to the season.

Arsenal may be enjoying another promising season, but it is notable that they lack a scoring threat through the middle. In the Premier League, Arteta’s top marksmen are on five goals, with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz both on this figure, and this lack of a player who scores a goal at least every-other-game is a major perceived weakness in the squad.