ADEMOLA LOOKMAN may not be the world-class striker some think Arsenal need – but he could be the perfect signing for the Gunners.
Reports in Italy suggest the club are set to bid £43million for the Atalanta star.
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Arsenal missed out on the title last season by just two points, with some believing a lack of cutting edge in attack saw them sloppily lose to the likes of Aston Villa, Fulham and West Ham.
There have been calls for the club to splash the cash on a top quality No9, with the likes of Ivan Toney, Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen all being touted as options.
But it appears Mikel Arteta wants a player more comfortable contributing across the whole pitch in a Kai Havertz mould – rather than just a penalty box beast like Erling Haaland.
This is where Lookman comes in as potentially the surprise dream signing.
The player was dubbed a wonderkid after firing England’s Under-17s to World Cup glory in 2017 and joining Everton from Charlton for £11million.
He burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old, scoring against Manchester City in a 4-0 debut demolition as Pep Guardiola watched on helplessly.
Lookman was then tipped to become a world beater – but he struggled for game time and eventually moved to RB Leipzig.
The German club have a reputation for developing young players – yet they were also not able to get the versatile winger to reach his full potential.
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Mediocre loans to Fulham and Leicester followed before he joined Atalanta in 2022.
And it’s in Italy under the highly-rated Gian Piero Gasperini where Lookman has finally lived up to the hype, capping his 17-goal season off with a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Here are five reasons why Lookman is perfect for Arsenal and is ready to tackle his unfinished Prem business.
Position
Whether it’s defenders like Riccardo Calafiori or attackers like Leandro Trossard – versatility is key for Arteta.
And Lookman offers just that, having played as a No9, second striker and left-winger last season.
His best performances came through the middle, playing just off Gianluca Scamacca.
The striker has great technical ability but is not the most mobile, with Lookman adding speed, directness and an eye for goal to the attack.
But he is also more the capable of playing on either flank and will be a good alternative should Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka get injured.
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Good finishing
Gasperini’s ability to improve players sees him lauded in Italy and Lookman’s finishing has gone from strength to strength.
In the Europa League final, it was clever movement on the blindside of the defender for his first goal that showed he is capable of being a No9.
He then made it 2-0, popping it through Granit Xhaka’s legs and firing it beyond the keeper from outside the box.
And he got the match ball by dribbling past a defender on the outside and blasting it into the top corner with his weaker foot.
There was no header to make it the perfect hat-trick but it fantastically showed a wide range of finishing that has caught the eye of Arsenal.
Gabriel Jesus got just 34.5 per cent of his shots on target last season, while Lookman got 46.9 and 35.8 per cent over the last two campaigns.
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Directness
As proved by his finishing and his performance against Leverkusen, Lookman can go on either foot.
He has always had blistering pace and he averages just over a foul won per match, 4.09 progressive dribbles and 1.87 successful take-ons.
His pace is also seen without the ball as Atalanta relentlessly press from the front and Lookman often leads the chase.
Creativity
The 26-year-old is not just a goalscorer and he can creates chances.
Lookman registered ten assists in 45 matches last season and he averages 4.81 shot-creating actions per game.
Arsenal will often need to break down defences that are sitting deep against them so having an extra player able to pull the strings will help share the burden on Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Prem experience
Arsenal want their new signings to hit the ground running instantly and experience in England has been a key theme of Arteta’s recent signings.
Declan Rice, David Raya, Jorginho and Trossard were all signed within the last 18 months and has previous Prem experience.
The Gunners are also closing in on buying midfielder Mikel Merino for £30m from Real Sociedad and he had a spell at Newcastle in 2017.
With Eddie Nketiah set to leave Arsenal for £30m, re-investing that cash and more to sign Lookman looks like smart business.
He is no longer the mid-table winger we saw in England a few years ago and could prove to be the missing link that helps dethrone City.
Lookman goes from Panenka laughing stock to European hat-trick hero
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN will go down in Atalanta, and European football, folklore after his stunning Europa League final hat-trick vs Bayer Leverkusen.
Lookman’s treble was the first in the final of a Uefa competition since 1975.
But some Premier League fans won’t have believed their eyes – after witnessing his infamous Panenka miss for Fulham.
Lookman was spotted playing Sunday league in Lambeth by Charlton just TEN YEARS ago, at the age of 16.
Twelve months on, in 2015, he was already the Addicks’ best player, shining on the wing in the Championship.
And before he knew it, Lookman was in the Premier League after a massive £11million move to Everton.
Lookman, by now 20, made an instant impact, scoring on his debut in 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City.
He even won the U20s World Cup with England, netting three goals in the tournament.
But he struggled to earn regular football with the Toffees, before defying boss Sam Allardyce’s wishes by snubbing a loan to Derby to push through a move to RB Leipzig instead.
Lookman impressed in the Bundesliga with five goals and earned a permanent move.
But he again failed to settle and soon found himself back in the Prem on loan with Fulham
His spell at Craven Cottage saw moments of brilliance overshadowed by costly mistakes.
None more so than his ill-fated Panenka penalty against West Ham.
Lookman’s scuffed chipped effort dropped tamely into motionless Lukasz Fabianski’s waiting hands, leading to widespread criticism and ridicule from fans and pundits alike.
A loan at Leicester followed but it was a switch to Atalanta in Serie A which saw Lookman finally fulfil his potential.
Now playing international football for Nigeria, he helped them reach the Afcon final earlier this year.
But he didn’t have to wait long to add his first senior trophy as the undisputed man-of-the-match in Dublin against the previous unbeatable Leverkusen.
