Does Dusan Vlahovic want to join Arsenal?

Arsenal need to sign a striker this window and have selected their man. Links to other options are substantiated, although none are more prevalent than Dusan Vlahovic.

He’s hard to ignore. Built like freight train, the Serbian is scoring for fun in Serie A with his tally for the season up to 16 goals in 20 appearances, including a trio of assists.

Those numbers carry on from last season where he netted 21 in 37 league outings, but while there are concerns over the supposed ‘stat padding’ that comes from penalties, remove those 11 and it’s still 26 goals in 57 Serie A appearances for someone only 21 years old.

It is worth mentioning, too, that last season Fiorentina finished 13th and are being largely carried into European contention this term on account of Vlahovic’s immense scoring rates. Physical, imposing, connective, boasting elite ball striking technique and able to vary up his game, it is little wonder why Arsenal are interested.

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Does Dusan Vlahovic want to join Arsenal? Mikel Arteta is determined to land Fiorentina striker on £50m deal but there seems little sign of progress

Hourly updates on the situation tend to hover around the same point: Arsenal have either bid or are willing to bid whatever Fiorentina want, and the Italian club are quite content to let him go as they know this fee will trump any amount they can earn at the end of the season. The £50m+ or so they could earn for his services is an astounding amount for a club like Fiorentina.

So why hasn’t the deal come off?

I Viola, like Arsenal, are having to deal in the wonderful world of agents. Vlahovic’s representatives are coming up with exorbitant demands and the Italian side are said to be ‘furious’ trying to negotiate the ‘impossible’.

Depending on where one’s information comes from, Vlahovic is also not overly sold on the idea of moving to Arsenal. He and his entourage are keen on biding their time until the summer when there will be a larger window to move and, crucially, more clubs showing their hand.

Nobody truly knows whether or not Vlahovic wants to move to Arsenal. It’s speculative at this point. And, understandably, supporters aren’t overly sold on pushing the boat out for a player who needs convincing that the move is right to him. Arsenal, as a club, should sell itself. Mikel Arteta said as much himself not long after his arrival.

Taking the Arsenal hat off for a minute, though, and delving into a mixture of conjecture and realism, what might Vlahovic want?

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Vlahovic Will Europe’s Big Sides to Choose From in the Summer

This is a talent who can dominate European football for many years judged off his current trajectory, and as enticing as the project is at Arsenal with the focus on youth and increasingly attractive brand of football that can be elevated with a marquee centre-forward, waiting until the summer seems like the logical move to make for the 21-year-old.

Erling Haaland is likely to join one of Real Madrid or Manchester City, and whoever doesn’t land the Norwegian will pursue other targets. Namely, Vlahovic. Robert Lewandowski still has many years at the top left in him, but even Bayern Munich might sense an opportunity to plan for the future.

At this stage Arsenal do not have Champions League football, let alone are they regulars in it. If Vlahovic trusts himself to be the missing piece that lifts Arsenal into that competition, keeps them there and then has them challenging for honours, then as a club it’s a fantastic opportunity for him.

https://twitter.com/OptaPaolo/status/1481685462309818385

But, wait a few months, help get Fiorentina into Europe and then potentially have the option of either a Real Madrid or Man City to choose from and you can entirely understand some hesitancy, or unwillingness to commit, from the big Serbian. And, it’s worth adding, he’ll get more money elsewhere.

Arsenal do have a pull. They absolutely have. Even those with a strong disliking for Arsenal – which appears to be almost everyone in England at present – can see what is being built in north London has the potential to be successful. As an age profile, Vlahovic fits that recruitment strategy perfectly, too.

It really is a guessing game in terms of what the player wants. He is yet to speak publicly on his future in January. Vlahovic will, you’d imagine, nonetheless be keen to see what else may crop up in a few short months.

From Arsenal’s perspective, if they can’t convince him that it’s the right club for him to develop – as painful as it may be he could even see the Gunners as a stepping stone onto somewhere else – then frenzied efforts and premium prices feel like wasted energy best spent focussing on other targets.

There are continents jam-packed with talented centre-forwards itching to don the red and white in the Premier League. It’s the dream for so many, just as it mightn’t be for Vlahovic.

If he has got his eyes on a prize he deems bigger, which is an unfortunate yet understood disposition, Arsenal’s gaze should be elsewhere too.