SALZBURG, AUSTRIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Patson Daka of RB Salzburg celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the UEFA Champions League Play-Off second leg match between RB Salzburg and Maccabi Tel-Aviv at Red Bull Arena on September 30, 2020 in Salzburg, Austria. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
According to an older report from Football.london, Patson Daka was said to be a priority signing for Arsenal. Daka came on their radar as they were scouting another RedBull Salzburg player Dominik Szoboszlai. It was said that the forward position was one of the priorities of technical director Edu.
Born in Zambia, Daka began his journey with Nchanga Rangers in his homeland before joining Kafue Celtic. He then spent half a season on loan with Liefering before joining RB Salzburg in the summer of 2017. He initially joined the youth set up and helped the club with the UEFA Youth League that season. He scored 2 goals in 2 games in the competition.
Though he initially struggled in the club’s senior set-up, he was a part of the side which won the league in 2017/18 and the following campaign. Last season, he led the team to the league title with 31 goals and also helped Salzburg lift the Austrian Cup title. He has been on fire this season too with 12 goals and 4 assists in just 11 games.
Daka played a key role in Zambia U20s Africa Cup of Nations win in 2017 and was named the African Youth Player of the year. He is currently a part of the senior side with 18 appearances and 2 goals (source – Transfermarkt).
Questions are now being asked whether Arsenal have really made any progress in the one year Mikel Arteta has been at the helm. While the former player did win the FA Cup and Community Shield last season, Arsenal’s current issues and state are slowly giving rise to questions.
10 games played, 5 lost, 10 goals scored and placed 14th in the table – Arsenal’s start to this season in the league has been terrible. All the early season vigour seems to have disappeared and a tepid style of football has returned to the Emirates. Most of all, their attack looks simply toothless. Their forwards are all struggling this season and can’t seem to get out of their personal slump.
They seemingly look like they could use a shot in the arm and the signing of Patson Daka could go a long way in doing that. He has ridiculous stats for Salzburg with 66 goal contributions in just 94 games (source – Transfermarkt). While those numbers may be in the Austrian league, they are still very good numbers for a 22-year-old.
The Gunners should look to sign Daka at the earliest given their goalscoring issues. After all, there are way too many clubs looking at him as per another report from Manchester Evening News.
