Arsenal submit offer to sign ‘special’ winger

Arsenal are sitting quite at the top of the Premier League scale, but Mikel Arteta and his men have been here before, and he will know that the January transfer window could prove advantageous for the club in their quest for the title.

Especially when Manchester City are focusing on Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo, who has scored nine goals and provided three assists in the league this season.

Semenyo, an Arsenal fan, was on Andrea Berta’s radar but the Gunners have now registered interest to match City’s. Could it be because another star is in the line of sight?

Arsenal must sign a striker

They are an elite team, but Arsenal’s endless goal-scoring problems have continued into the current campaign, albeit to a lesser extent.

Arteta needs to add firepower, and he must admit that Viktor Gyokeres has failed to deliver since his £64m move to the Emirates from Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 97 goals in 102 matches.

But perhaps signing another cash-rich centre-forward wouldn’t be the most prudent route.

According to Spanish sources This month, Arsenal signed up to the idea, after making an opening bid for the Real Madrid striker Rodrygounhappy at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old is overshadowed in Xabi Alonso’s frontline, but he is a world-class striker and would find the perfect home to develop further at Arsenal.

Los Blancos are reportedly considering his sale, but not for less than £75 million. Arsenal’s offer was worth €60m (£51m).

How Rodrygo would improve Arsenal’s attack

Rodrygo didn’t have the best year in 2025, but he remains an elite, multi-faceted striker who has scored 70 goals and provided 55 assists for Real Madrid, arguably the biggest soccer club in the world.

Just last year, teammate Jude Bellingham hailed him as “probably the most gifted and talented player on the team“, with an underlying physicality to complement its flashier side.

Indeed, over the past 12 months, the Brazilian international has been “one of the best wingers in the world” in the words of analyst Spencer Mossman, ranking in the top 1% of position peers in pass completions, top 4% in progressive carries and top 10% in shot creation actions per 90, according to FBref.

He is an elite striker, who could elevate Arteta’s burgeoning project. His pedigree on the biggest stages and his ability to improve his teammates’ play could even see him bring Gyokeres out of his cave.

Gyokeres, 27, has scored five Premier League goals in 18 matches this season, making 15 starts. But he hasn’t been good enough, at odds with the finesse of Arteta’s otherwise fluid front line.

You don’t need your centre-forward to be a ballerina, but Gyokeres struggles to hang on to Arsenal’s attacking efforts and enjoys only minimal contribution each game.

When we look at his stats compared to last season, his deterioration only becomes clearer.

As you can see, since returning to English shores in July, the towering striker has struggled.

But it’s not all his fault. Gabriel Martinelli, for example, has not been at his best this season and has gone ten Premier League matches without scoring a goal. Arsenal content creator James commented after the recent victory at Bournemouth that the Brazilian winger was too one-dimensional“.

Rodrygo, his compatriot, would certainly be an improvement, and with such flair, versatility and innate creative qualities, he has been described as a “special striker” who “can play in all positions” by former boss Carlo Ancelotti – this could be the perfect signing to keep Man City at bay and finally win silverware and the Premier League title after two decades of searching.

Related

Saved by Rice: Arsenal must eliminate the miss who lost the ball every 3.5 touches

Arsenal cruised to victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League.