Why Arsenal should avoid signing Luka Jovic as Aubameyang’s replacement
According to a report from Daily Star (h/t The Sun), Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has identified Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic as the candidate to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang’s future has been a subject of intense speculation with his contract set to expire in a year’s time. Real Madrid themselves are looking to make an attempt to land the Gabonese international in the summer (h/t Metro).
And should Aubameyang end up leaving, Arteta is planning on replacing his £200k-a-week captain with Luka Jovic (h/t The Sun).
Jovic is a product of the Red Star Belgrade academy in his homeland of Serbia. The centre-forward moved to Portuguese heavyweights Benfica in January 2016, but struggled to carve out a place for himself in the first-team.
Eighteen months later, having failed to make a mark in Portugal, Jovic joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a two-year loan deal, where he prospered. In his first season in Germany, the 22-year-old scored 9 goals and set up 2 more in 27 appearances.
But it was the 2018/19 that put him firmly on the map. Jovic bagged 27 goals in 48 matches in all competitions, playing an important role in the club’s run to the Europa League semifinal.
A big-money move to Real Madrid followed in the last summer. But things haven’t gone according to plans for Jovic in Spain. The 22-year-old has failed to deliver in his debut season at Madrid, managing just two goals in 24 games till date.
In comparison, Aubameyang has been one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe. Since arriving at Arsenal in January 2018, the 30-year-old has been one of their best players. Last season, the Gabonese centre-forward won the Premier League Golden Boot and has already netted 20 goals in all competitions this season.
Replacing the 30-year-old would be a difficult task for Arsenal. They should look to bring in an equally top-class striker to fill the void that would be left by Aubameyang’s departure.
Hence, Jovic is not the solution for the North Londoners. In his professional career, Jovic, till date, has had just one good season, which came at Eintracht Frankfurt. In fact, apart from the 2018/19 campaign, the Serbian hasn’t reached double figures for goals even once in his career.
True, that at 22, Jovic is still young and has a long way to go in his career. But Arsenal already have Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli who are of a similar age group and they have shown plenty of potential already.
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So investing in another young forward to replace Aubameyang would not be the smartest move for Arsenal, especially considering how Jovic has struggled to perform at Real Madrid.
Instead, should the Arsenal captain end up leaving, the Gunners need to replace him with a striker who would guarantee them 15-20 goals a season.
Verdict
Jovic has struggled to live up to expectations at Real Madrid. Taking over from someone as prolific as Aubameyang at Arsenal will be a huge ask for the Serbian, one that he may not be ready to fulfil yet. Hence, the Gunners should look for a more proven option, who would be able to produce 15+ goals on a consistent basis season after season.
