It has been a season of ups and downs for Arsenal so far this year, as just a few weeks ago, they were top of the Premier League table and flying, whereas now they have fallen to fourth place and crashed out of the FA Cup following their 2-0 loss to Liverpool over the weekend.
While the entire team are playing worse than they did just a month ago, the frontline have been particularly bad as of late and seem incapable of scoring – failing to convert any of their 18 attempts against the Anfield side.
This inability to score a goal has seen the side linked to a number of strikers this month, including Brentford's Ivan Toney, but the latest name touted for a move to N5 could be an even better option: Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez.
Arsenal transfer news – Lautaro Martinez
According to journalist Dean Jones, Arsenal have shown interest in Inter Milan's star striker, Martinez.
Alongside the Gunners, Chelsea are also interested in the Argentine forward, and the fact that he has yet to sign a new deal with the Italian giants should come as good news to both London sides.
That said, it will take an enormous effort to pull the World Cup winner away from the San Siro in 2024, with Jones claiming that it would take an offer of £80m-£100m to start turning heads at Inter.
While that is an undeniably pricey valuation, the fact that he has been in such unbelievable form over the last couple of seasons might make it more reasonable, as the alternative – Toney – has not played at all this season.
Arsenal should sign Lautaro Martinez over Ivan Toney
Now, the Gunners will likely see a notable increase in the number of goals they score, regardless of which forward they ultimately sign. Still, based on recent performances and possible potential, Martinez looks to be a smarter acquisition.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig would likely agree with that sentiment as he described the 26-year-old as a "mix of Agüero & Falcao", which is about as high praise as a striker can receive.
Agüero finished his career with 385 club goals, 119 assists and 41 international goals from 101 caps.
In comparison, Falcao has racked up 307 club goals, 55 assists and 36 international goals from 105 caps, so if Martinez can get anywhere close to these two, Arsenal would have a genuinely world-class forward on their hands.
With that said, who comes out on top between the two strikers when comparing their underlying numbers? Well, when using Toney's figures from last season – as he has not played in 2023/24 – and Martinez's figures from this season, it becomes even more evident that the Gunners must go for the former Racing star.
In every vital metric, the "dangerous" striker, as described by Kulig, has his potential competitor beaten. He takes more shots on target, scores from more of his shots, is a more accomplished dribbler, a significantly better passer of the ball, and produces far more shot-creating and goal-creating actions per 90.
Stats per 90
Martinez
Toney
Goals
1.01
0.61
Assists
0.13
0.12
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.66
0.56
Shots on Target
1.51
1.01
Goals per Shot on Target
0.63
0.42
Passing Accuracy
75.4%
59.5%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.15
2.01
Goal-Creating Actions
0.57
0.24
Successful Take-Ons
0.75
0.49
All Stats via FBref for the 2022/23 & 2023/24 Domestic Seasons
Perhaps most importantly for Arsenal, though, is that his goals per 90 number of 1.01 this season is much higher than his non-penalty expected goals and assists figure of 0.66 – which is also impressive – meaning that he has been incredibly clinical in front of goal for the Nerazzurri.
At the end of the day, both strikers are truly elite, but with the Gunners so desperately needing a clinical finisher, Martinez seems like the far better option.