Why Arsenal should grab the opportunity to sign Maxi Gomez in January
According to The Mirror (h/t The Sun), Arsenal have been handed a massive boost in their pursuit of Uruguayan striker Maxi Gomez ahead of the January window.
As per the report, Valencia are prepared to sell the 24-year-old for a fraction of his mammoth £125million release clause to balance the books during the mid-season trading period. That could potentially open the door for Mikel Arteta’s side to line him up on a cut-price deal next month.
Gomez initially moved to Spain with Celta Vigo in 2017 after establishing himself at Defensor Sporting in his native Uruguay. The towering hitman went on to bag 30 goals in 75 appearances for the club across two seasons before switching boats to join Valencia in 2019. He has since netted 14 times in 53 appearances for Los Che.
Meanwhile, Arsenal continued their dismal start to the campaign with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Everton on Saturday. That was their 8th defeat in 14 league games this season so far, marking the club’s worst-ever start to a top-flight campaign since 1974.
The Gunners currently find themselves languishing at place 15th in the standings with just 14 points accumulated, leaving them just 4 points above the relegation zone.
With plenty of crunch fixtures set to follow over the festive period, Arsenal will need to start putting some points on the board in the coming months to avoid getting dragged into an ignominious relegation battle.
Having scored just 12 goals in the Premier League so far, it goes without saying that Mikel Arteta’s side are crying out for some much-needed transfer spark in January to get their campaign back on track.
Putting things into context, Maxi Gomez ticks plenty of boxes to come through the door at the Emirates as a marquee addition to Arsenal’s misfiring forward line. The Uruguayan has bagged an impressive 44 goals and 14 assists in 116 career appearances in the La Liga.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s lacklustre form (The Gabonese star has scored just thrice in 13 league appearances so far) has evoked plenty of criticism from the fans. With Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Willian also failing to hit top gear, lack of creativity and firepower in the final third has been one of the major talking points from the Gunners’ nightmarish start to the campaign.
Arsenal clearly need to start scoring more goals to climb up the table and a potential deal for Gomez would hand a timely boost to Arteta’s plans. Having hit double figures in the goals column in each of his past three seasons in Spain, the Uruguayan fits the profile of a striker who would offer Aubemeyang and Lacazette some much-needed cover and competition in North London.
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Verdict
Suffice to say, Gomez’s towering frame coupled with his goalscoring ability would certainly improve Arsenal’s attack.
At 24, the Uruguayan international still potentially has his best years ahead of him, meaning that the Gunners have every reason to look at him as a long-term option. Having said that, Arsenal completing a cut-price deal for the Valencia star next month would be an excellent bit of business.
