Victor Osimhen is once again at the heart of Arsenal’s summer transfer conversation following their Champions League semi-final exit to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners pushed the French champions all the way but lacked the one thing that could have made the difference; a clinical finisher.
Arsenal produced an xG of 3.14, the most by any side against PSG in this season’s competition and registered 19 shots, their highest tally in a UCL knockout game since 2016. Yet they left empty-handed.
Club legend Martin Keown didn’t hold back post-match. “I think the tactics were perfect,” he said. “It was just in the final third where you need a fox-in-the-box. We didn’t have the same weapons to hurt them & that’s where the change will come, big recruitment will come in the summer.”
Why Victor Osimhen is Arsenal’s ideal attacking weapon
Osimhen has spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Galatasaray and is back in blistering form.
The Super Eagles forward has scored 33 goals and added seven assists in 35 appearances, showing why elite clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG have kept tabs on him.
Napoli are not expected to keep him beyond the summer. The plan is for the striker to be sold as soon as possible, ideally by June. With a release clause around £64 million and Arsenal reportedly ready to meet it, the groundwork is being laid.
But wages remain a hurdle. Osimhen will demand top-tier money and Arsenal must decide how far they’re willing to go.
What is clear, however, is that if they want to move from contenders to champions, signing a striker of his quality isn’t just ambition. It’s necessity.
