Arsenal have made £50m PL star a top target

They may have continued their impressive Champions League form on Wednesday night, but domestically, Arsenal’s season has not gone as planned.

Mikel Arteta’s side came into the campaign hopeful of finally getting their hands on the title, but as things stand, they find themselves six points off leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Worse still, the North Londoners crashed out of the FA Cup at home to a dire Manchester United side and will have to overturn a 2-0 deficit away to Newcastle United next month to make it to the League Cup Final.

There have been issues across the pitch for the Gunners, but it is in attack where much of the frustration stems, and while he has shown glimpses of quality this year, Gabriel Martinelli continues to underwhelm.

It has been almost two years since we have seen the mercurial Brazilian at his dangerous best, and now the club might be losing patience with him as well, with recent reports touting a Premier League star who could be his potential replacement with a move to the Emirates.

Arsenal chasing Premier League game-changer

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are interested in Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, whom they have identified as their top alternative to the injured Bukayo Saka.

However, they are not the only team keen on the Ghanaian international, as the report has revealed that fellow Premier League sides Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are keeping tabs on the situation.

On top of the potential competition, the Gunners will also have to stump up a sizable fee, as according to the report, the Cherries are reluctant to sell their star, whom they value at around £50m.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Semenyo’s ability and potential, it is well worth pursuing.

Moreover, while he might be seen as a player to cover for the injured Saka, he could also be the long-term upgrade on Martinelli.

How Semenyo compares to Martinelli

Okay, so the first thing to point out is that, yes, in the immediate future, Semenyo would be an excellent stand-in for the injured Saka, as following Jesus’ injury against United, the only somewhat natural option Arteta has on that side is Ethan Nwaneri.

However, due to his impressive versatility combined with the fact he’s one of the few genuinely two-footed players in the Premier League, the Bournemouth ace’s long-term role at Arsenal would likely be off the left, as we don’t know if there is a player in world football that the manager would start over a fit Saka on the right.

So, how does the 25-year-old dynamo stack up to Martinelli, who would likely be his main competition for game time on that side of the frontline?

Well, from a pure output perspective, it’s a clear win for the “unplayable” winger, as dubbed by football journalist Ed Aarons, as in just 23 appearances totalling 1908 minutes this season, he has scored seven goals and provided four assists, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.09 games, or every 173.45 minutes.

In contrast, the former Ituano gem has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances, totalling 2161 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.1 games, or every 216.1 minutes.

Moreover, on top of being able to produce impressive levels of output for a team outside the traditional ‘big six,’ the “versatile forward,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is also a big game player, having scored a goal against Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest and providing an assist home and away against Newcastle United, all this season.

Ultimately, while he might not be the biggest name around, Semenyo has cemented himself as one of the most exciting and effective forwards in the Premier League this year. Therefore, Arsenal should be doing all they can to bring him in this month, even if it could be bad news for Martinelli’s long term future at the club.