Let’s make the argument for not trading Viktor Gyokeres for Julian Alvarez and it’s quite a simple one in favour of the current striker.
In his debut season he scored 21 goals, not spectacular but a decent tally considering that he had to scratch about for the majority of those because the service he got on the whole was poor.
Runs went unnoticed, his movement went unchecked and he had to adapt to a style of play that isn’t really made for a traditional striker.
Thierry Henry in his first season scored 26 of which 17 were in the Premier League, whereas Gyokeres scored 14 out of his 21.
I’m not saying he’s in Henry’s class but he’s far from a failure and when you consider Arsenal were without their playmaker Martin Odegaard and that the team struggled for consistency on the left flank, those figures are a reasonable return.
I’m not clutching at straws here but imagine we played to his strengths, that Odegaard was available for a whole season and that the left wing provided a consistent threat.
Imagine we made the most of his runs, got the ball to him earlier when he was on the move.
What would his goal tally have been then?
It’s all hypothetical I know but give the lad the chance and allow him a second season with fresh faces, two balanced and productive flanks and the company of a playmaker.
Much has been made of Julian Alvarez and there’s a growing appetite for his signature but let’s add some much needed perspective.
8 goals and 4 assists in LaLiga, with 10 goals and 4 assists in his 15 Champions League appearances hardly merits the current release clause of €500 million or £430 million which seems a little stiff given his figures.
I’m not convinced Alvarez will fare any better, yes he’s more involved in build up play but he’s around 5ft 7 as opposed to the more physically robust 6ft 2 of Gyokeres he’s unlikely to offer an obvious aerial threat.
Once again it’s down to formation, tactics and use of the individual player.
It’s about recognising their strengths and providing service but the player also has to add another dimension to their game and Gyokeres has tweaked his game to meet the demands of the premier league.
He toils away regardless of the congestion in the penalty areas and his hold up play has improved but he needs to add scrappy tap ins to his repertoire and cut the angles to goal, so there’s more to do.
Alvarez has an extremely good work ethic,pitching in on the defensive side of things and he has good movement providing a bridge between midfield and attack.
He’s more of a secondary striker than an attacking focal point and at the end of the day his figures don’t indicate that Arsenal would increase their goal tally against sides that are defensively minded.