Arsenal need to be careful they don't repeat Viktor Gyokeres mistake with January signing

After enduring a frustrating summer transfer window, Arsenal look likely to bolster their attack in January, with several players already being heavily linked with a switch to North London.

Junior Kroupi is the name on many Gunners supporters' lips, although the club seem to be keeping their options open. The Frenchman's recent lengthy spell on the sidelines, combined with Bournemouth's likely hefty asking price, complicates this potential deal.

It's clear that Arsenal do indeed need something else in forward areas in the second half of the season. Neither Viktor Gyokeres nor Kai Havertz look likely to surpass 20 goals this term, with both putting up fewer than two shots per 90 minutes, while the left-sided options remain somewhat uninspiring.

Based on the links to Kroupi, among others, it seems as though a centre-forward is the priority this winter. Mikel Arteta may well be prepared to settle with Christos Tzolis and Eberechi Eze off the left for another six months, but Havertz's injury history and Gyokeres' dire form clearly leave too much uncertainty down the middle.

Kroupi may be one of two priority targets, with the other a promising but unknown quantity.

Arsenal are interested in Nicolo Tresoldi

According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are keen on signing Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi in January.

Plettenberg revealed this interest on Sunday, just after the German striker had netted his third hat-trick in the last month. Brugge are said to be looking for around €50 million (£41.8 million) for the number nine, while Barcelona are understood to be considering rivaling the Gunners for his signature.

After developing through Bundesliga 2 side Hannover's academy, Tresoldi left Germany to sign for Brugge last summer. He enjoyed a fruitful debut campaign in Belgium alongside Arsenal's Tzolis, netting 23 goals and providing seven assists across all competitions.

The Gunners were loosely linked with Tresoldi over the summer, although nothing materialised on this front as the player opted to remain at Brugge to continue his development for another season. This will almost certainly be his last campaign with Blauw-Zwart, as he's begun the new term in electric goal-scoring form, which has subsequently alerted several of Europe's top clubs.

Scoring 12 goals in his first 14 appearances this season, including a hat-trick at the San Siro, Tresoldi has quickly established himself as one of the hottest young strikers on the market. It's no surprise that Arsenal are taking a look at him.

Signing Tresoldi could be repeating Gyokeres mistake

Arsenal have been here before with a striker putting up ridiculous goal-scoring numbers in a non-top-five league. The Gunners forked out £68 million to sign Gyokeres in the same summer Tresoldi joined Brugge, and while the Swede contributed to Arteta's side's title-winning season, it's fair to suggest that this was a poor investment.

Gyokeres is yet to score this season, and has managed just one shot across both the Champions League and the Premier League. He's evidently not at the level, technically or physically, to lead the line for a team with quadruple aspirations. Clearly, his form in Portugal shouldn't have convinced Arsenal to spend a fortune on him.

Equally, Tresoldi being prolific in Belgium isn't necessarily a sign that he's ready to play for a team competing for football's biggest prizes.

That said, there are a few key differences that should give Arsenal hope. Firstly, Tresoldi is five years younger than Gyokeres was when the former Coventry man made the move to N5. The Italian-born striker has plenty of room to improve and get better, whereas Gyokeres was the finished product when he joined the Gunners.

On top of this, many European football experts believe the overall quality of the Belgian top flight is actually higher than the Portuguese first division. Aside from Sporting, Benfica and Porto, the average Belgian team might be better than the average Portuguese team that Gyokeres would beat up on every week. The wage bills of the respective leagues reflect this.

Finally, Brugge are only said to be looking for around £41 million for Tresoldi, almost £30 million less than what Arsenal paid for Gyokeres.

Regardless, this is still one Arsenal should treat with caution.

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