A sensational Havertz upgrade: Arsenal join race to sign £100m PL star

There have been two significant problems for Arsenal this season: injuries and lacklustre attacking form.

We shouldn’t underplay the importance of the former, as Mikel Arteta has had to cope without the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes for long stretches of the campaign, while Liverpool have been rather fortunate with their star players.

However, the North Londoners’ lack of cutting-edge has been just as problematic, and as things stand, there isn’t a single player in the team who has hit double digits for goals in the Premier League.

So, with this in mind, it’s unsurprising to see recent reports linking the club with an exciting striker who has hit the milestone and could be a real upgrade on Kai Havertz.

Arsenal’s striker search

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth examining some of the other Premier League strikers linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, such as Ollie Watkins and Liam Delap.

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The former might be available for around £50m this summer, and as he’s racked up a sensational haul of 17 goals and 13 assists in 52 games this season, it’d be hard to say that’s not a fair price.

Delap, on the other hand, has a release clause of just £30m in his contract, and with 12 goals and two assists in 38 games, that once again feels rather reasonable.

However, another centre-forward has now been touted for a move to the Emirates, Joao Pedro.

Yes, according to a recent report from journalist Sam Dean, Arsenal are among a number of Premier League clubs interested in the Brighton & Hove Albion star.

Alongside the Gunners, Dean has revealed that Chelsea and Liverpool are particularly keen on the Brazilian striker, who, according to reports from last month, could cost £100m, although that could come down in negotiations.

While it could be a complicated and costly transfer to get done, Arsenal should still pursue it, as Pedro’s shown glimpses of brilliance on the south coast and could represent a real upgrade on Havertz.

How Pedro compares to Havertz

If the last season and a half has told us anything about Arsenal’s attack, it’s that Havertz is firmly ahead of Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order to start up top.

Therefore, if the club were to sign Pedro in the coming weeks and months, he’d be up against the German for a starting berth, but who comes out on top when we compare them?

Well, when it comes to their raw output in the league this season, it’s the “sensational” Brazilian, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out on top.

In 27 appearances, totalling just 1953 minutes, he has found the back of the net on ten occasions and provided six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.68 games, or every 122.06 minutes.

In contrast, the Gunners’ number 29 was able to score nine goals and provide three assists in 21 league appearances, totalling 1842 prior to his injury, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.75 games, or every 153.5 minutes.

Unfortunately for the former Chelsea star, he also just about comes out second-best when we take a look under the hood and compare their underlying numbers.

For example, in the majority of relevant metrics, the Seagulls’ ace comes out on top, metrics like goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes, passes into the final third and penalty area, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, so long as they can bring that fee down somewhat, then Arsenal should be looking to sign Pedro this summer, as not only does he have a better rate of return in the Premier League than Havertz, but he also has a far more impressive set of underlying numbers.

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