Arsenal had to sit on the sidelines and watch the FA Cup action over the weekend, but following their thumping 5-0 win over Crystal Palace last time out, spirits are high.
That said, the arrival of a new face before the transfer window slams shut this week could help further lift the mood, especially as the latest name touted for a move to N5 could mimic Leandro Trossard’s fantastically successful move last January.
What’s better is that this player’s finishing ability has been compared to arguably the greatest Premier League player of all time: Thierry Henry.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Conducting the right transfer has become something of an art form in the modern game, with a plethora of different strategies and ways of looking at the market, but in this case, it seems as if Arsenal are simply looking to repeat the same trick they pulled last year and head to the Amex for their latest star.
According to reports from Spain, the Gunners are keen on signing Brighton & Hove Albion ace Karou Mitoma, either this month or in the summer if it comes to that.
The report has revealed that it is Mikel Arteta himself who is pushing for this transfer, although the club are set to face some stiff competition, with Manchester United and Manchester City both big fans of the Japanese international and keen to add him to their ranks this year.
If the north Londoners can get their man this month, it would be the second January in a row in which they have signed the Seagulls’ premier winger. However, with the Mirror reporting last month that any deal would cost in the region of £70m, it would be a far more expensive transfer than the one for the Belgian.
How Mitoma compares to Arsenal’s left-wingers
The Gunners are blessed with an incredibly talented team – of that there can be no doubt – and while this talent certainly extends to the left wing in the shape of Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, it stops there, and neither one has lit the league alight this season.
On a pure league goals and assists basis, the Japanese superstar has his potential new teammates beat, registering three goals and four assists in just 17 appearances.
In comparison, the Belgian has scored four times and assisted once in 17 appearances, and the Brazilian has four goals and two assists in his 19 league appearances.
The “insane” 26-year-old, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, isn’t just impressive because of his numbers, though, as in his short time in the Premier League, he has already racked up quite the catalogue of impressive goals and mazy runs.
In fact, his finishing was something that former teammate Christian Burgess flagged to Sky Sports, with the Englishman claiming that Mitomoa “finishes like Thierry Henry,” which could be just the thing to convince Arsenal fans that he is a player worth signing, and when you watch his goal compilations, it’s impossible to miss.
Ultimately, with the opportunity to end the club’s two-decade title drought still within reach and Martinelli and Trossard not quite at the races this season, signing Mitoma should take precedence as one of the Gunners’ critical objectives before the window ends.
Moreover, the sight of a left-sided forward bursting down the wing before gently guiding the ball into the far corner has been missing from the Emirates for far too long.
