Victor Osimhen is too good a market opportunity for Arsenal to ignore

We have entered the final days of the summer transfer window, and Arsenal need to complete more business.

With Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira leaving the club, Eddie Nketiah rumoured to be next and Gabriel Jesus sustaining a groin injury, the Gunners now look incredibly light in attack.

Mikel Arteta himself recognised this after the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa, saying: “We are a little bit short, if we can do something we will do it.”

As it stands, the Gunners could well be left in a situation where there is no fit natural striker at the club, and no clear option to deputise for Kai Havertz.

Rumoured interest in Viktor Gyökeres, Ivan Toney and Benjamin Šeško never materialised into anything more - but there is one more name who could change everything.

Victor Osimhen remains expected to leave Serie A outfit Napoli in the final days of the transfer window, and his once eye-watering price tag looks to have reduced significantly.

Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli submitted a €65m offer for the Nigerian star last week, and there is no indication that the offer was rejected, with personal terms the apparent stumbling block.

This potential fee is a world away from the €120m release clause that the Azzurri were demanding at the start of the transfer window.

Every Arsenal fan will have heard Arteta coin the phrase “market opportunity” before, and now Osimhen could represent exactly that.

What Victor Osimhen would bring to Arsenal

The 25-year-old is one of the most highly regarded strikers in world football, and there is no doubting why.

Having scored 15 goals in just 25 Serie A appearances last season, and 26 goals in 32 appearances the season prior, Osimhen has earned the reputation of a prolific goal-scorer.

His speed and physicality make him a handful for defences to contain - while his work-rate is phenomenal.

People have often said that Arsenal are a clinical striker away from the Premier League title - and Osimhen could bridge that gap, and then some.

He does not, unfortunately, come without areas of concern, with his injury record being the most notable worry.

He has missed 86 games for club and country because of injury throughout his career so far, amassing to a total of 616 days sidelined.

Competition for his signature

Competition is high in the pursuit for Osimhen, with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain both interested - as well as Al Ahli.

Chelsea are thought to be the most likely to secure his services, while the player’s agent has seemingly discounted a move to Saudi Arabia, having said: "Victor still has so much to do in Europe."

It remains to be seen who Osimhen's preferred destination is, or even if Arsenal can afford the wages and agent fees that would be required to facilitate the move - as well as the transfer fee itself.

The verdict

I must confess, I will sound somewhat (or perhaps very) hypocritical here, having previously written an article outlying why Arsenal should not sign Osimhen.

But, despite that, it looks clear to me that a move for the Napoli star would reap massive benefits which outweigh the potential cons - although the risks are still there.

If a deal were to cost in excess of €100m, the deal would look far more risky but, for the rumoured reduced fee, it feels like a no-brainer.

In reality, it is difficult to imagine Arsenal pulling this deal off in such a short timeframe - but it is as good a market opportunity as we are ever likely to see, and would solve several problems.

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