Arsenal want to sign £41m Havertz upgrade who’s had a penalty saved by Raya

We are still just 11 games into the Premier League season, but it already feels like Arsenal’s title challenge has come off the rails.

Mikel Arteta’s side were hoping it would be third time lucky when they kicked off their campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers in August, but five wins, four draws and two losses later, they sit in fourth place, nine points off leaders Liverpool.

However, while things look somewhat bleak for the North Londoners, a few signings here and there to bolster their attack could help turn things around.

Fortunately, recent reports suggest that the club may have identified the ideal player to come in and help solve their goalscoring woes, although it could be bad news for Kai Havertz.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal have identified Atalanta star Mateo Retegui as a potential signing for 2025.

Now, the report does claim that Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres remains the club’s primary target, but the Bergamo outfit’s star striker remains a player they are interested in.

The good news is that, unlike the Swede, the Italian international should be relatively straightforward to sign, with the report claiming that the Serie A side would be happy to sell the player for around €50m, which is about £41m.

It still wouldn’t be a cheap transfer to get done, but given Retegui’s form this season, it is one worth pursuing, even if it negatively impacts Havertz’s game time.

How Retegui compares to Havertz

So, if Arsenal do spend upwards of £40m on Retegui next year, it likely won’t be with the idea of just putting him on the bench to pick up minutes here and there; Arteta will want him to compete for the starting striker spot, which in turn would put him up against Havertz.

The former Chelsea ace may have joined the Gunners to play in midfield, but from the midway point of last season, he has firmly established himself as the team’s starting number nine, but how does he compare to the player he could be competing with?

Well, the bad news for him is that when it comes to the pair’s raw output – the most important metric of all for a striker – it’s the Atalanta ace who comes out ahead.

For example, despite seeing David Raya save his penalty in the Champions League earlier this season, the “lethal” 25-year-old, as dubbed by Italian manager Luciano Spalletti, has found the back of the net on 11 occasions and provided three assists to boot, which equates to an average of a goal involvement every 1.21 games.

In contrast, the North Londoners’ number 29 has scored seven goals and provided just one assist in as many games, meaning he’s maintained a worse average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games.

Moreover, when we examine the pair’s underlying numbers, the San Fernando-born poacher comes out way ahead in practically all relevant metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy and key passes, and shot and goal-creating actions, all per 90.

Ultimately, Havertz is an undeniably talented player who has shown he can lead the line for a top club, but so far this season, Retegui has been the far more effective goalscorer, and it’s not even close.

Therefore, if Arsenal want to turn their form around in 2025 and reignite their title charge this season or the next, they must sign Atalanta’s red-hot marksman.

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