Arsenal is interested in signing Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca, according to several sources. According to some sources, the Gunners’ initial £34 million approach was rejected. There haven’t been any real proposals for the striker yet, according to Sassuolo’s CEO, who I’d imagine is a pretty reliable source. This season in Italy, the 6’5, 23-year-old forward scored 16 goals in 38 appearances.
I’m skeptical about a young Italian striker heading to the Premier League since it’s not something that happens very often — Italians disproportionately prefer to play club football in their home country. However, along with all the smoke, there appears to be some fire. According to The Athletic, he is on the Arsenal hierarchy’s list of potential targets. Scamacca is expected to leave Sassuolo this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Scamacca has remarkable stats. That 16 goals in 38 games figure is also misleading. He scored more goals per 90 minutes than Gabriel Jesus or Tammy Abraham, based on minutes played. In terms of pressures, he also compares favorably to the other Arsenal-linked striker prospects, and he’s a good tackler.
I took a deeper look at the key strikers affiliated with #afc and did the best I could to compare them. Also included Nketiah (despite his obviously small sample size) pic.twitter.com/8Xj2clmmBR May 26, 2022 — Aaron Catterson-Reid (@ReidTheGame)
His height is a game-changer, and it’s something Arsenal’s offense desperately lacks. The Gunners were in the bottom half of the league for headed-goals, with Gabriel Magalhaes, notably not an attacker, leading the way with three. Martin degaard and Eddie Nketiah were the only Arsenal attackers to score more than one goal. At 6’5, Scamacca provides a significant aerial threat, a target for longer balls / goal kicks, and chips in with defensive headers, too.
Arsenal’s main attacking target this summer is Gabriel Jesus. At this time, it’s quite well established. There was a point when the Gunners were said to be interested in buying Jesus and another attacker this summer. With Eddie Nketiah looking likely to sign a new contract, that seems less likely given the money (we think) Arsenal have to spend. It’s a great shame. It would have been a major improvement to add some height and physicality to the attacking options.
There’s always a chance that the reporting about Arsenal’s summer plans has been off the mark, the club changes course, or an opportunity comes along that Mikel Arteta feels is too good to pass up. The transfer window is infamous for being unpredictable. Things change suddenly and apparently out of nowhere. But my gut feeling is that Gabriel Jesus is the only starter-level attacker Arsenal sign this summer.
