Arsenal’s history with Serie A is not a well-travelled one and in the current millennium, hardly a successful one either. This is surprising considering some of the players that the Gunners brought into the club prior to the year 2000 rolling around.
Arsenal club legend Thierry Henry joined from Juventus while Dennis Bergkamp and Nwankwo Kanu arrived from Inter Milan. Patrick Vieira was signed from AC Milan. Anders Limpar moved from Cremonese, and David Platt made the switch from Sampdoria.
Platt's former side are arguably the only club that the Gunners have seen a modicum of success in the last 20 years in the market. Lucas Torreira was one of Unai Emery’s first signings but ultimately the Uruguayan was unable to succeed in north London.
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Other examples include Emiliano Viviano, Mathieu Flamini who arrived on a free after leaving Milan and Stefan Lichtsteiner who also joined for nothing after leaving Juventus. However, this could all be about to change.
Arsenal’s striker search has led them into Italy with links to some impressive forwards. CBS Sports claim that extensive scouting has taken place for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan.
The Nigerian forward has continued his scoring feats since making the switch from Lille. He suffered with a serious cheekbone injury this season but has still managed to accumulate 15 goals in 25 games in all competitions.
The issue however is that the Naples-based club are demanding a figure in the region of £84 million according to Napoli Piu. This would make him the most expensive player in Arsenal’s history ahead of the £72 million paid for Nicolas Pepe.
The Pepe deal has ultimately failed to live up to expectation and the price has lingered on the Ivorian’s shoulders. Bukayo Saka’s rise through the ranks produced further obstacles. The expectation would be even greater were Osimhen to make the big-money switch.
Should Arsenal wish to spend a smaller amount, Calcio Mercato report that Lautaro would be gettable for an approximate £59 million figure. Hardly cheap by any means but significantly less than Osimhen.
The risk for Arsenal though is that Lautaro has played the majority of his club career in a front two. He has operated as the sole number nine leading the line for Argentina but how he would transition to the Premier League appears less comfortable compared to Osimhen.
Should Arsenal choose to move for either player, the aim will be to break the curse of the Serie A record. It is important for the club to show success in signing players across many different leagues to know their recruitment processes are versatile at recognising the correct profiles.
However, more important is that Arsenal get the player for the striker position spot on. It is almost destined to threaten the investment records considering how crucial a role the forward is for the club. Choose the wrong one and the following season could soon turn in the wrong direction and fast.
