It's not been the busiest of summers for Arsenal so far this year, with just the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori so far in terms of new first-team players.
That said, it appears that the signing of Mikel Merino is a matter of days away from being completed, and in the last week or so, several top-class strikers linked with the club, such as Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli's Victor Osimhen.
However, in the last couple of days, another name has consistently been touted for a move to the Emirates: Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.
The Englishman might not have the same level of excitement around his name as the other number nines on the market at the moment, but he's Premier League-proven, a good age, and seemingly available.
He'd likely be a success leading the line for an increasingly dangerous Arsenal, although he could have a fight on his hands for the starting role with another attacker at the club who is worth considerably more.
The latest on Solanke to Arsenal
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal are now interested in Bournemouth's Solanke this summer, alongside several other clubs, including North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
There appears to be some discrepancy in how much the former Chelsea ace would cost, but based on the report, his contract has a release clause worth £65m.
This would represent a significant investment from the Gunners, but based on his form last season and the fact that they missed out on the title by just two points, it would probably be worth it.
For example, in his 42 appearances for the Cherries across 2023/24, the Basingstoke-born dynamo scored 21 goals and provided four assists, which converts to a goal involvement on average every 1.68 games and would have made him the second most productive player at Arsenal.
However, even after such an impressive campaign for the South Coast side, Solanke is worth considerably less than one of Arteta's key men.
The valuation of Kai Havertz in 2024
Yes, the key man in question is last summer's £65m man, Kai Havertz, who is valued at a whopping €98M by Football Transfers. This converts to about £84m, or at least £19m more than Solanke, and while it's significant, it might be justified.
The German international began life at the Emirates in a midfield role, and in all honesty, he was rather ineffective for a large part of last season until he was moved up top, that is.
Following his change from left eight to starting nine, the former Chelsea ace became one of the most important players in Arteta's squad, alongside Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. He was one of the first names on the teamsheet during a period when the North Londoners were tearing teams apart.
He ended the campaign with 14 goals and seven assists in 51 appearances, but his numbers look a lot more impressive when you consider the games in which he started as the team's out-and-out striker.
In those 18 matches, the "magnificent" ace, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, scored eight goals and provided seven assists, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.20 games, and is actually more impressive than Solanke's average.
Appearances
42
51
18
Goals
21
14
8
Assists
4
7
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.59
0.41
0.83
Now, the question over the German's head is whether he could keep that rate of return up for an entire season, but it would make for an interesting dynamic to see him compete with the Bournemouth man in 2024/25.
Ultimately, signing Solanke would likely be a smart idea for Arsenal, as more firepower is always a good thing, but he'd have to really impress to permanently dislodge Havertz from the starting lineup and surpass his mammoth value.
Arsenal prepare bid for world-class Merino upgrade in blockbuster swap deal
The incredible talent would be an exceptional addition to the Gunners’ squad.
ByJack Salveson HolmesAug 5, 2024