Jean-Philippe Mateta could be an ideal signing for Arsenal (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Arsenal need a new striker this summer and everyone knows it, so did Jean-Philippe Mateta just provide the perfect audition with his stunning goal for Crystal Palace in this week’s draw at the Emirates Stadium?
If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the Mateta vs Arsenal goal video here for an example of just how good a player the Frenchman has become at Premier League level – surely too good to be at Palace for much longer!
Mateta has an impressive record of 17 goals and three assists in total for Palace so far this season, and this was probably his best of the bunch as he spotted David Raya off his line and punished him with a brilliant long-range finish.
While it might seem a bit foolish to be overly critical of a team preparing for a Champions League semi-final next week, it’s pretty clear that Arsenal don’t really have a striker in their squad who could score a goal like that.
Arsenal have a long list of striker targets, and Jean-Philippe Mateta wondergoal shows that he has to be on it
We’ve heard a lot about various strikers being linked with Arsenal in recent times, with Alexander Isak the dream target, if a bit of an unrealistic one, while Viktor Gyokeres has been linked more strongly since Andrea Berta took over as sporting director.
Still, Mateta is surely the better option for a variety of reasons, with Isak simply unaffordable as Newcastle won’t want to sell to a rival.
Gyokeres, meanwhile, may be on fire in the Portuguese league, but his only previous experience in English football came with Coventry City in the Championship.
If Arsenal want a proven Premier League centre-forward, Mateta seems ideal, and he probably won’t cost anything too crazy either.
Still, CaughtOffside understands that the 27-year-old has been approached by Manchester United, so the Gunners might need to move fast to be in the race for his signature.
Mateta stunned the Emirates with his sublime strike this week, now he should be the man lining up for Mikel Arteta’s men next season.
