Arsenal: Championship 21-goal striker admits Gunners adoration

Arsenal are in the midst of a summer transfer scramble. With so much to prepare and players to bring in and sell, they are hamstrung in the sense that their targets may alter drastically depending on whether they secure Champions League football.

Beyond just elite European football, there is every chance that no continental competitions at all may be on the cards for this Arsenal side, with a large contingent of the fanbase having never experienced such an eventuality.

Arsenal in Europe just feels right, even if the past four seasons have been in the little brother to the Champions League.

Among the positions in need of strengthening is centre-forward, with Eddie Nketiah, Alexandre Lacazette and Folarin Balogun all seemingly heading for the exit door. Gabriel Martinelli could be moulded into that position long-term under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage, yet even still at least one more striker would need to be brought in.

https://twitter.com/ReadingFC/status/1369226457453563905

Reading striker Lucas Joao admits Arsenal adoration

Odsonne Edouard and Ivan Toney have been the pair most heavily linked. The former is rumoured to have already agreed to join Leicester in the summer, while the latter will cost £30m if Brentford don’t secure promotion to the Premier League.

It may turn out that second tier players become the most financially viable options to Arsenal, and the division’s fourth top scorer, Lucas Joao, has confessed his admiration to the north London club.

"“The Premier League is desirable as a whole… it’s the competition that everyone would like to play,” he told A Bola, via Sport Witness.“It’d be fantastic, with my feet firmly on the ground I’d say that I would do anything to fit any team. But I can say that as a kid I was very fond of Arsenal. I already played against them for Sheffield, won and scored”."

With 18 goals and six assists in the Championship for Reading this season, the Portuguese striker is enjoying his best goalscoring return to date. In terms of qualities, he stands easily over six foot tall, is a butcher of a centre-forward with his hold-up play and stylish enough to turn his man.

However, he is not the age profile (he’s 27), nor does he boast the career prolificacy that the Gunners are after. But given his comments, his name will mentioned among Arsenal targets in the coming weeks. Beware.