Arsenal's return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace this month went about as well as it could have; they kept a clean sheet, scored five themselves and saw their frontline finally return to some sort of form after a miserable festive period.
Gabriel Martinelli nabbed a brace in his cameo, while Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka picked up an assist each for their trouble, although the latter was still far from his dynamic best.
Performances like the one against Fulham, for which GOAL's Charlie Watts gave him a 4/10, have become far too familiar over the last two months, although, with the right number nine, he could once again explode into life.
Mikel Arteta and Edu clearly share this sentiment, as the latest player touted for a move to N5 is one of world football's deadliest strikers and could help revive Saka's form.
Arsenal make contact with Neapolitan Royalty
According to Italian journalist Ciro Venerato, who was speaking live on Domenica Sportiva (via CalcioNapoli24), Arsenal are 'concretely' interested in Napoli's Nigerian superstar Victor Osimhen and has already held talks with his entourage with the purview of securing a move this year.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, the report has also revealed that Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are the other interested parties and, just like the north Londoners, the Blues have spoken to the player's representatives about a move.
The former LOSC Lille man only signed a new contract with I Partenopei last month, although this was done to include a release clause and facilitate a move to please all parties this year, and according to the report, it would cost the Gunners around €140m (£119m) to activate said clause.
While this deal would immediately become the most expensive in Arsenal's history, it would undoubtedly make them stronger and could help reverse Saka's faltering form for good.
Osimhen could revive Saka
Now, Saka has already scored six goals and provided seven assists in just 20 league starts this season, so while he is currently underperforming, it's only because when he is on song, he is simply unbelievable.
The Hale End superstar picked up most of his goal involvements earlier in the campaign and has only scored one goal and registered one assist in the last six league games. Still, that poor return is not just down to him, as during the club's three-game losing streak after Christmas, the frontline scored just a single goal from 63 shots, and that goal came from Saka.
Arteta has a finishing problem in his team, and according to Understat, Jesus is one of the biggest offenders, with three league goals from an expected goals figure of 5.30, which would help explain why Saka has six assists from an expected assist figure of 7.14.
This is where Osimhen could help, as the Nigerian "machine", as described by football writer Mina Rzouki, has been consistently scoring goals in Italy, and according to Understat, his seven Serie A goals have come from an expected figure of 7.04 this season, while his 26 last season came from an expected figure of 26.63.
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Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the clinical number nine sits in the top 4% of strikers for total shots and touches in the opposition's penalty area, the top 10% for non-penalty goals, the top 11% for non-penalty expected goals and the top 16% for non-penalty expected goals and assists per 90.
Percentile
4%
4%
10%
11%
16%
Ultimately, if Arteta wants to regularly compete with Manchester City and see Saka get back to his best, he could do a lot worse than sign a striker that Italian agent Andrea D'Amico described as "better than [Erling] Haaland."
That comparison to the City star – who boasts 71 goals in 75 games for the Etihad outfit – should bode well for the impact Osimhen could make at the Emirates next season…