With Arsenal today confirmed to be in talks with Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, the club look set to sign a top class centre forward this summer. We cast our eye over the top five options on the transfer market.
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Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of strikers this summer, as they bid to boost their misfiring forward line.
The sale of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United in summer 2012 resulted in the loss of 30 Premier League goals from the side, but the Gunners compensated by spreading the goals throughout the team.
New signings Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud managed 34 top flight goals between them, and Theo Walcott also had his best ever season in terms of scoring return, with 14 strikes in the Premier League.
However, although Arsenal managed three more points than the previous season in which they came third, they rarely appeared close to challenging for the title, and a top goalscorer appears vital to helping them finally overcome that trophy drought.
Arsene Wenger has been linked with a plethora of top quality centre forward signings this summer in order to provide the north London club with a cutting edge up front, and we ran the rule over the main contenders.
Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)
Few expected Fiorentina star Stevan Jovetic to be the most talked about name in the transfer window thus far, but the Montenegrin has found himself a man in demand.
Chelsea and Juventus join Arsenal in their interest in the 23 year-old, who is capable of playing a variety of roles across the attacking line.
At Arsenal, Jovetic would likely start either up front or on the left wing cutting inside, and his creativity and shooting prowess could come to the fore in each.
His versatility perhaps explains why he was less prolific than many of the other names on this list – Jovetic only scored 13 goals in Serie A all season, and is not the orthodox forward that the Gunners probably require.
His strength lies in his build up play, with only three players creating more clear cut chances in Italy all season.
According to the Daily Mirror though, Arsenal’s interest in Jovetic has cooled, with more regular goalscorers seemingly overtaking him in the pecking order.
Originally posted on Fanatix.