3 reasons why Julian Alvarez is the right striker for Arsenal

Arsenal are reported to have expressed interest in signing Julian Alvarez from title rivals Manchester City.

A move by the Gunners for the Argentina international would certainly be interesting considering City have been their main rivals over the past two seasons and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

City are unlikely to be willing to strengthen a direct rival, especially considering the sales of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal two years ago drastically improved the Gunners, and will demand a hefty fee. Despite this, Mikel Arteta's side are certainly capable of pulling off a deal and there are three reasons why Alvarez would be the right striker signing for the club.

1. Premier League proven

Alvarez has been playing in the Premier League for two seasons and has performed well despite struggling for minutes at times. He has scored 20 goals in 67 appearances in England's top flight.

Only 44 of these 67 appearances have been starts so his record is really quite impressive. It is even better when considering Alvarez is competing with Erling Haaland, one of the best strikers in world football.

Alvarez's Premier League record shows that he would be more than capable of leading the line for a title-challenging Arsenal, especially given he has already won two league titles. He would score plenty more if he was given regular game time by Mikel Arteta.

2. Big game player

Despite his relatively short career and young age, Julian Alvarez has consistently turned up in big games at both club and international level.

He scored several important goals for Manchester City during the run-ins of both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. The Argentina international also netted crucial goals in his side's run to the Champions League title in 2023, including against Real Madrid in the semi-final.

Alvarez's big game performances have extended to international level for Argentina. He netted a brace in their 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final victory over Croatia and also scored at the same stage against Canada in the 2024 Copa America.

Alvarez would no doubt be a big game goalscorer and player for Arsenal, which is something the team has lacked in their title challenges over the past two seasons. He could end up being the man that propels the Gunners to their first league title in over 20 years.

3. Great fitness record

Gabriel Jesus was Arsenal's last striker signing and has struggled for fitness since joining the club meaning he has never been able to offer his side consistency up front. Julian Alvarez would be able to provide this consistency due to his brilliant fitness record.

Alvarez has missed just one game throughout his whole career, for River Plate in March 2022 through illness. At a point in football where the fitness of players is really put to the limit, that is truly incredible. His 2023-24 season has only just came to an end with Argentina's defeat to France in the Olympics, meaning his campaign lasted over a year, playing 75 games throughout. To have lasted that long without injury shows incredible fitness and durability.

His unbelievable record shows that Arsenal would be able to rely on Julian Alvarez for fitness and consistency even at the most gruelling parts of the season.

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