Arsenal are in a good position heading into the winter period in the Premier League, but manager Mikel Arteta is a man of intelligence and cunning.
A strategist, he understands that to topple the purportedly indomitable Manchester City, the Emirates Stadium must be strengthened in January.
The London side have perhaps gone a bit under the radar this season, and despite a few wobbles are top of their Champions League group and are third-placed in the English top-flight, just one point off top spot.
But might it be fair to say there is something… missing? Maybe it's pedantic to claim that Arsenal – who have scored 26 goals from 12 matches – are lacking offensively, but then Arteta is indeed a perfectionist, and silver-laden success is nestled in his mind like a chick waiting to hatch.
Arsenal transfer news – strikers
According to Tutto Juve – as per TEAMtalk – Arsenal are in a good position to win the race for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in January, with his Serie A outfit reportedly looking for €60m (£52m) to grant his sale.
Chelsea and Real Madrid are also interested in the Serbian, but it's unlikely that either would match the Gunners' bid and Arteta would ostensibly have a smooth route to his acquisition.
The 23-year-old is one of the best centre-forwards in Italian football but he has not quite clicked in Turin, and given the Old Lady's financial problems, it's believed that Massimiliano Allegri would welcome his sale, with Juventus second in the league.
Dusan Vlahovic's style of play
Juventus completed the £67m transfer of Vlahovic from Serie A rivals Fiorentina in January 2022 after his free-scoring feats had landed him an exciting move, but he has failed to match his return of
Last season, he scored 14 goals from 42 matches, impressing with his movement and finishing skills but unable to reach the kind of heights that were expected after he bagged 17 goals and four assists from his final 21 league outings for La Viola.
Described as a "monster" by reporter Carlo Garganese, Vlahovic is tall and powerful, boasting a mastery of his physicality and exceptional in receiving the ball under pressure and barging into dangerous areas.
As per Sofascore, Vlahovic has clinched four goals and an assist from just six starts in the Italian top flight this season, taking 2.7 shots per game and succeeding with 75% of his dribbles.
The 24-cap Serbia international has also been called "lightning" by pundit Micah Richards, who remarked that he has "everything you could need in a striker".
How Dusan Vlahovic compares to Victor Osimhen
The £219k-per-week talisman is perhaps failing to reach his apex at the Allianz Stadium but that certainly does not mean that he is not a first-rate forward.
To ventriloquise Richards, he boasts all the attributes that Arteta needs to serve as the perfect foil to Gabriel Jesus in the focal role up top – less creative, perhaps, but a natural sharpshooter.
Player
Club
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
Victor Osimhen
Napoli
Timo Werner
RB Leipzig
Patrik Schick
Bayer Leverkusen
Rodrygo
Real Madrid
*Sourced via Football Transfers
Given that he is of a similar make to Victor Osimhen, goalscoring extraordinaire of Serie A champions Napoli, Arteta may well be wise to forge ahead with plans to bring him to the Emirates fold.
Nigeria international Osimhen was invariably destructive last season as his outfit secured the Scudetto, posting 31 goals and five assists across all competitions, even heralded as a "superstar" by The Athletic's Colin Millar.
Osimhen is also a robust, quick, powerful and intimidating striker who threatens through the blending of his athleticism, hold-up play and defence-splitting motions through the lines.
Vlahovic boasts that same innate predatory instinct, even if he is struggling to click into full gear with Juventus. Arteta could offer him the perfect platform to use as a launchpad, with his prolific exploits sending a frisson of excitement through the Gunner ranks as they surge toward illustrious success,.