Arsenal have held talks to sign £25m striker

Arsenal’s season has not entirely gone to plan this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side have already crashed out of two cup competitions and find themselves six points behind Liverpool in the Premier League, who have a game in hand.

On top of that, the North Londoners have had to deal with injury after injury and are now looking incredibly thin up top, which has unsurprisingly led to a monsoon of reports over the last few weeks linking the club to a whole host of talented attackers.

One of the most prominent links has been to Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha, who could be available for £80m, but recent reports have now touted a potential alternative forward for a move to the Emirates this month.

Arsenal target free-scoring forward

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are keen to sign a striker this year and have identified Botafogo star Igor Jesus as a potential candidate.

The report claims that the Gunners have other long-term targets in mind for the number nine position but currently view the Brazilian goal machine as a more realistic target for this month and one that won’t interfere with their plans for the summer.

Further reports from TEAMtalk believe active negotiations have been held between Arsenal and the player’s agents with a £25m fee mooted.

It might not be the big-name signing fans are after this window, but given Jesus’ recent form and potential price tag, it seems like a brilliant market opportunity and a possible alternative to the pricey Cunha.

How Jesus compares to Cunha

Okay, so if Arsenal are considering bringing Jesus to the club this month instead of breaking the bank for Cunha, would that be a good idea?

To find the answer to that, we have to compare the two forwards, starting with the metric that matters more than anything else for players in their position: output.

For his part, the Wolves star has amassed an impressive tally of ten goals and provided four assists in 22 appearances, which means he is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.57 games for the Premier League side.

In contrast, the Botafogo star scored 25 goals and provided nine assists in 56 appearances across stints with the Brazilian side and UAE outfit Shabab Al-Ahli, meaning he maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.64 games. That type of form subsequently saw him hailed for his “incredible” performances by journalist Zach Lowy.

So, in terms of their average output in their most recent campaign, the Old Gold ace comes out ahead.

However, the 23-year-old dynamo, whom one Brazilian football expert described as “blowing teams away” last season, has looked better when playing for the national team, scoring and assisting a goal in just four games, whereas the former Atlético Madrid ace has yet to do either in 11 caps.

Finally, the Cuiabá-born phenom, who is two years younger, has already made a habit of winning titles, doing so in the UAE and then, far more impressively, playing a key role in Botafogo’s League and Copa Libertadores double last season.

Ultimately, it’s probably true that Cunha would come in and have a more immediate impact on the team this month, but given his lofty price tag, he might also disrupt the summer transfer plans.

Therefore, if Arsenal are looking to improve their attacking options while saving the big outlays for the next window, Jesus may be a smarter signing.