Edu told to complete two-year Arsenal striker transfer mission amid Folarin Balogun decision

Arsenal currently have Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun as options up front but Mikel Arteta has been urged to sign another frontman capable of scoring 30 goals a season

Arsenal have been told they need to sign a striker who can score 30 goals a season if they are to improve on last season’s success. Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun are the current options up front for Mikel Arteta.

Jesus is currently sidelined after undergoing a minor knee procedure following an injury picked up in pre-season. He is yet to feature for the Gunners this season but is expected to come back in the next couple of weeks. Balogun is not in Arteta’s plans this season and football.london understands several sides in the Premier League and abroad are interested in the USMNT star.

Arsenal have already turned down a bid for Balogun from Monaco this summer which is understood to have totalled around £34.2million. Balogun, who scored 22 goals for Stade de Reims in all competitions last season, is now thought to be considering his options with Fulham, Chelsea and Tottenham among the clubs interested. It’s believed Arsenal want around £50million for the young striker.

Nketiah, meanwhile, has started both the Gunners’ Premier League games this campaign and scored in the 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest. The 24-year-old also won a penalty against Crystal Palace on Monday night, which captain Martin Odegaard scored.

Despite the north Londoners’ current options up front, former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder, Emmanuel Petit, believes they need an elite striker to take them to the next level. The Frenchman has even named Alexander Isak as a potential option.

Speaking to BettingSites.co.uk, Petit said: “Alexander Isak is tall, aggressive and has great technique. He wants to score every time he gets the ball but he needs to be more precise in his game. Physically and technically, he has a huge presence on the pitch. If one day someone can tell me that he plays like Thierry Henry, maybe I will believe them, but for the moment it’s really too soon to say that.

“He’s a good striker and he’s someone that Arsenal would be very happy to have because he brings different qualities. Jesus and Nketiah play in a similar way, they are different in terms of movement, but physically, technically and in their finishing they are not far apart.

“I was upset by Nketiah’s finishing against Crystal Palace, he had two good chances, and Arsenal need to have a striker that can score 30 goals in all competitions throughout the season, it’s something missing at Arsenal if they want to improve. Isak is a very good striker and finished very well in the second half of the season last year after being injured. He started well this year again. If he can avoid being injured, because it’s been a problem since he arrived, we will see his real qualities.”

Isak has been on Edu’s radar before. The 23-year-old initially attracted interest from Arsenal in the summer of 2021, when he was at Real Sociedad. football.london reported in January 2022 that Isak, as well as Lille striker Jonathan David, were two strikers being explored by Arteta and Edu.

Of course, Isak moved to Newcastle United last summer in a deal worth £63million. The Sweden international scored 10 goals in 22 appearances in the Premier League last term and already has two goals to his name this campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will ever reignite their interest in the talented forward but, speaking to The Independent in 2021, the frontman appears keen to reach the highest level possible.

“I am in a good place at the moment, I am very happy, but one day it would be nice to play in England as well,” Isak said. “They have six or seven of the biggest clubs in the world, it is a very high level, and of course one day it would be an alternative. Every player wants to be the best version of themselves and reach the highest possible level. I have expectations for myself that I am trying to fulfil, so we’ll see where the journey takes me in future.”

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Newcastle: Kieran Tierney “might still come in”

Pundit Frank McAvennie believes the Magpies may still make a move for the Arsenal left-back…

Newcastle United could still make a move for Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney despite rival interest from a European club and the addition of Lewis Hall, according to pundit Frank McAvennie.

Why would Newcastle need Hall and Tierney?

Earlier this month, Eddie Howe made it clear he wanted to sign one more player this summer, in order to have the “ideal depth” in his squad, and the manager has now gotten his wish, with Chelsea’s Hall joining on loan, with an obligation to buy.

Hall has arrived at St. James’ Park for the season, and Newcastle must pay £28m plus £7m in add-ons to sign him permanently, with Howe seemingly bringing the 18-year-old in to play at left-back, having been in the market for a new option in that area of the pitch throughout the summer.

However, Jacob Whitehead makes it clear in his piece for The Athletic that Hall is not just a left-back, favouring a box-to-box midfield role, so Howe could choose to utilise him in a left-sided number 8 position.

However, Howe has seemingly brought the youngster in to strengthen his defence, which means there may be no reason to bring Tierney in on loan, having previously identified the Arsenal ace as a target.

Even so, pundit Frank McAvennie believes the Magpies could make a late swoop for the Scotland international, who he thinks can do a lot better than Real Sociedad, with the Spanish side recently being named as potential suitors.

In an interview with Football Insider, McAvennie said: “I think he is better than that.

“I think he is a better player than Real Sociedad. He is just not getting a game because of the way they are playing at Arsenal, it is nothing to do with his injury.

“I do not know what has happened with Newcastle because I thought he would have gone there. I think they might still come in, I would not be surprised if he ended up going to Newcastle.“