Arsenal wanted to sign 22-goal striker after Julian Alvarez snub
Arsenal made a late attempt to sign Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez after failing to persuade Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez to join them, according to The Daily Mail.
The Gunners had a mixed summer transfer window. They made a couple of marquee signings in Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa to bolster their midfield and defence respectively.
However, the club failed to pursue a high-profile forward, which was a top priority for the summer.
Christos Tzolis has done well since his summer switch from Club Brugge, but the left winger had a minor reality check after a difficult outing against Aston Villa away from home (1-0 win).
The Daily Mail now reveal that Arsenal assistant manager Gabriel Heinze reached out to his compatriot Martinez over a potential move last week after it became clear that Alvarez was unavailable.
However, Inter refused to entertain any kind of deal for the Argentina international, who has almost three years remaining on his contract. The Nerazzurri were quite clear that he was not for sale.
Mikel Arteta must show more faith in Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal first sought a marquee left winger during the recent transfer window. As the transfer deadline approached, the focus shifted to landing an elite centre-forward, but nothing materialised in the end.
In our view, manager Mikel Arteta now has to rely on his existing options until January at least, and must show more faith in Viktor Gyokeres, who has surprisingly been an unused substitute twice this term.
The Swede was on the bench on many occasions last campaign, but there was not a single Premier League or Champions League game where he was unused when fit. This has happened twice this season.
There was speculation that Gyokeres was probably being benched to be swapped for Alvarez, but that possibility went out the window. Arsenal may have discussed a similar deal with Inter for Martinez, who scored 22 goals at club level last season.
The manager now needs to rely on the Swede. The 28-year-old had a relatively slow start during his debut Arsenal campaign last term but picked up form after the turn of the year. 14 of his 21 goals came in the second half of the 2025/26 season.
Gyokeres probably could have left if Alvarez or Martinez had arrived this summer. The former Sporting CP man needs to be trusted from here on, as Havertz can’t lead the line on his own every game, given his injury record over the last 18 months.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
The post Arsenal wanted to sign 22-goal striker after Julian Alvarez snub first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.
