Arsenal lead race for “outstanding” £60m goal-machine

After back-to-back seasons of challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title, there was hope that it would be the third time’s the charm for Arsenal this year.

Unfortunately, that’s looking rather unlikely at the moment, as Mikel Arteta’s side currently find themselves nine points off league leaders Liverpool and are set to be without the talismanic Bukayo Saka for at least two months.

However, while things are certainly looking bleak for the North Londoners, there are some reasons to be optimistic, such as Gabriel Jesus rediscovering his goalscoring form.

However, it might be too little too late for the Brazilian, as recent reports have linked the club to one of Europe’s most exciting forwards, someone who could be a dream upgrade.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush.

In fact, the report has revealed that, following unsuccessful contract talks between the player and his club, the Gunners have made contact over a potential move while fellow Premier League sides Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Aston Villa watch on.

The story does not mention a potential price the North Londoners would have to pay, but reports from earlier this month claimed that the Egyptian international could cost up to £60m

It could prove to be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Marmoush’s incredible ability, one well worth fighting for, even if it would be bad news for Jesus.

How Marmoush compares to Jesus

So, if Arsenal were to stump up the cash required to bring Marmoush to the Emirates next month, they would undoubtedly do so with the intention of playing him as much as possible.

Therefore, at least at the moment, one of his main competitors for a regular place in the starting lineup would be Jesus, but how do the pair compare?

Well, from the most important metric of all for a forward, raw output, it’s the Frankfurt ace who comes out ahead, and it’s not even close.

For example, in just 24 appearances this season, the “outstanding” marksman, as dubbed by manager Dino Toppmoller, has scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists, equating to an average of 1.25 goal involvements per game.

In contrast, even after his flurry of goals before Christmas, the Gunners’ number nine has only put the ball in the back of the net six times in 23 appearances and provided two assists for good measure, equating to a lacklustre average of 0.34 goal involvements per game.

Unfortunately for the former Manchester City star, the comparison remains just as one-sided in the Egyptian’s favour when we take a look under the hood, at their relevant underlying numbers.

For example, the former VfL Wolfsburg ace comes out ahead in every metric important for a centre-forward, including but not limited to non-penalty expected and actual goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Jesus remains an incredibly talented footballer and one who could still contribute to Arsenal’s future, Marmoush looks to be a far more dangerous striker.

Therefore, the North Londoners should do what they can to bring the Frankfurt superstar to North London before someone else does.

Related

Saka solution: Arsenal target £100m ace who’s a “game changer of a signing”

The superb international would make Arsenal far more dangerous.