As per a report by The Telegraph (Subscription Required) [h/t Metro], Arsenal have made an enquiry for Inter Milan striker, Lautaro Martinez. The Serie A side would be willing to part ways with the Argentine international if an offer in the region of £77m is made. Martinez is on a contract that currently expires in the summer of 2023.
According to the aforementioned report, Arsenal are ‘looking at alternatives’ as signing Tammy Abraham from Chelsea is not proving to be an easy task. The 23-year-old Martinez joined Inter back in 2018 from Racing Club and has since made himself a regular fixture in Inter’s starting XI. So, are there enough reasons for Mikel Arteta to bring the striker to The Emirates?
Arsenal could be short of striking options this season as well as the near future. They signed Alexandre Lacazette 4 years back and followed it up by signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the same season, but since then, they haven’t signed a quality senior striker. In fact, they have sold Chuba Akpom, Lucas Perez, and Joel Campbell since then.
It now seems like the time to freshen things up in their frontline. Eddie Nketiah and Lacazette may not be at the Emirates next season as well, as football.london mentions that the duo could be up for sale this summer. The 30-year-old Frenchman is in the last year of his contract and the Gunners would be wise to sell him before they risk losing him on a free transfer.
Nketiah, on the other hand, has found it very hard to get starts under Arteta. The 22-year-old Englishman returned from his loan spell at Leeds United in January last year but he only managed to make four league starts in 2020/21. And in the event Nketiah or Lacazette, or both, leave, Arsenal would need a solution.
It would be helpful if Arteta brings in a player who is ready for first-team football on a regular basis but is young enough to be a long-term asset at the club. Aubameyang is 32 already and is on a deal that expires within two years, which should force Edu and Arteta into action soon in order to look for his potential successor.
This is where Lautaro Martinez would come in. At 23, he has managed to make himself one of the most feared strikers in the continent and was a vital cog in the Inter Milan machinery that won their first Scudetto in 11 years. In the event of any first-team striker leaving, Martinez can slot into Arteta’s starting XI with relative ease.
He can effectively do two things at once, if signed, at Arsenal. Martinez can be the man to take over Lacazette’s first-team starting spot, and can also act as a long-term asset, akin to what the young Nketiah has offered in the past few years. With the Englishman in the last year of his contract, it seems like his race is run at The Emirates.
Moreover, only Everton scored fewer goals than Arsenal in the top half of the league table last season. In light of that, Arteta should look to bring in a player to increase the scoring output at the right end of the pitch. Martinez may be a costly target, but his age and exploits in Serie A should be enough to convince the Spanish manager that he is the man to lead Arsenal’s line in the near future.
