Arsenal have reportedly identified their number one target to replace Alexandre Lacazette for next summer in the form of Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
According to football.london, Arsenal are ready to make Dominic Calvert-Lewin their priority striking target next summer as the Gunners hunt a successor for out-going Alexandre Lacazette.
The Arsenal revamp is on a roll starting earlier this summer, following their ninth-place finish in the Premier League, and the summer saw them spend around £150 million on six new signings, all under-23, to bring down the squad’s average age and invest in building a competent team for the future rather than just loitering the spending on experienced players.
Although North London giants did upgrade many key areas with fresh and hungry young players, neither of these addressed their goal-scoring issues.
Alexandre Lacazette running down his contract expiring in June 2022. The French striker is set to leave on a Bosman next summer, with Newcastle United interested whilst Eddie Nketiah is poised to do the same regardless of being offered a new deal to get regular playing-time critical for his growth.
And an ageing Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang turning 33 at the end of the season is inching ever-closer to his twilight years. This leaves Gabriel Martinelli as the sole reliable option. It’s a growing concern, and Gunners director of football Edu Gasper has already rolled his sleeves to prepare a shortlist of potential forward target fitting the profile and philosophy in place under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal have linked with a host of young forward talent’s in recent weeks, including Alexander Isak, Youssef En-Nesryi and Ollie Watkins. However, Everton and England centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin has emerged to be the stand-out candidate on the list, with the Gunners set to go all-out to persuade the Englishman to make a switch to Emirates next summer.
Calvert-Lewin has progressed leaps and bounds since exploding onto the scene at Everton back in the 2017/18 campaign and is currently regarded as one of the best out-and-out strikers in the English top-flight. Guided by the former boss Carlo Ancelotti and Duncan Ferguson, the Everton hitman netted 16 goals from 33 Premier League games in the 2020/21 campaign.
While he was on course to beat his best tally this season, his progress has been hampered with an injury, scoring just 3 goals in three league outings prior to the spell on the sidelines. His glowing displays earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad at Euro 2020. In fact, the 24-year-old is only behind Harry Kane in the pecking order in the England setup.
Standing at 6ft 2, Calvert-Lewin is a dominant force in the air and has a very potent goal-scoring header. He is quick, intelligent, and a decent presser while he’s equally comfortable on the ball. He is primarily an out-and-out number nine but has played on either wing in the initial stages of his Everton career. At 24-years old, the peak years are still ahead of him and could be an excellent replacement for Aubameyang.
It still remains to be seen whether Arsenal can sway the 24-year-old England international out of Everton, who have recently tied down their asset to a new long-term deal and are ready to fight tooth and nail to keep their star man.
