Arsenal Target Confirms Transfer Decision

Arsenal’s pursuit of signing VFB Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy has been handed a major boost as he has informed the club of his decision to depart the German side this summer. 

After a star season in Germany, scoring 28 goals in 28 games and helping Stuttgart finish second in the Bundesliga and qualify for Champions League football, the Guinean striker has decided to leave the club, with Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in the race.

Chelsea have also had an interest in Guirassy, but the striker has decided not to join the Blues.

How did Guirassy fare last season?

Guirassy joined Stuttgart on loan in the 2022/23 season, scoring 11 goals in 22 appearances where he helped them to narrowly avoid relegation.

After this successful loan move, the Guinean striker moved permanently for a fee of €9 million.

Guirassy finished the season as the second top scorer behind Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.

His impressive season in the Bundesliga has seen teams from around Europe showing an interest; the Stuttgart man scored 28 goals in 28 games, picking up three assists.

Guirassy missed a handful of games due to a minor hamstring injury and the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations; the striker could not bring his form from Germany over to the AFCON tournament, though.

He missed the first two games due to injury and failed to score in the following three games, and they were knocked out in the Quarter-Finals.

Arsenal’s competition

According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are in the race for the former Stade Rennais striker, but they are not alone, with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and Italian giants AC Milan both in the race.

More teams could yet push in for Guirassy, with the striker having a relatively cheap release clause of €17.5 million, which Dortmund have triggered.

Dortmund are confident of making the deal happens soon, meaning that Arsenal may have to move in soon if they want to sign Guirassy.

Do Arsenal need Guirassy?

After another impressive season from the Gunners, coming second and finishing only two points behind Manchester City, Arsenal may look to improve their squad to help push on, and to do this, they may need another striker and a consistent number nine.

Last season, Arsenal’s top scorer was star player Bukayo Saka with 16 followed by Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard with 13 goals and 12 goals. The Gunners have had several options upfront this season with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Havertz.

Bringing in a striker like Guirassy who has shown a goalscoring ability in recent seasons may be the boost Arsenal need next season, the two natural forwards Jesus and Nketiah scored a combined nine goals last season so a striker with more of a goal threat could help Arsenal gain the few extra points they need.

Other potential targets

With Dortmund showing confidence, Arsenal may have to look towards other targets for a striker.

The first player they could go for instead is Viktor Gyokeres, whilst he will be expensive compared to their other targets, signing a player of his talent will show Arsenal’s ambition going into the new season.

The Swedish striker scored 29 goals and picked up ten assists in 33 games for Sporting, a striker of this scoring ability could help be the difference in second place and the title for the Gunners.

Another potential target could be Feyenoord and Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez, who could be a cheaper alternative to Gyokeres, but can still add goals to the attack.

The Mexican scored 23 goals and six assists for the Dutch side in 30 appearances, and could be worth considering.

The final potential target is a different type of striker in Joshua Zirkzee, who will add quality to the attack.

Zirkzee could cost around €40 million, which is still a huge fee but less than both Gyokeres and Gimenez.

The Dutch forward is an exciting watch with goals, skills and pace in his game and is a huge threat who had a great season for Bologna scoring 11 goals and getting four assists.