Former Arsenal forward Jeremy Aliadiere has put his weight behind a move for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia over Kylian Mbappe, suggesting that the Gunners could benefit more from the Napoli star's skill set.
This summer, Arsenal added Christos Tzolis to bolster their attacking options, but they haven't stopped there. The club has previously chased stars like Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior, and Julian Alvarez as they look for that standout striker.
After selling Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, there remains room in the squad for yet another attacking player. Aliadiere is adamant that the Londoners shouldn't hesitate to splash the cash on Kvaratskhelia, whose transfer could command a record fee.
Responding to a question from Live Football Tickets about who he would sign for Arsenal with a free pick among all players worldwide, Aliadiere shared his thoughts.
Oh, that's a tricky question. I firmly believe in team balance, a healthy dressing room atmosphere, and the right mindset to achieve success.
Initially, I wanted to say Kylian Mbappe, as I believe he is simply the best player in the world. But would he fit into this squad? Would he play for the team or act more individually? I'm not too sure, so I don't know if that would be a great move.
Therefore, I'd probably choose Kvaratskhelia from PSG, as I see him as a team player who works hard. Plus, as I've already mentioned, he plays on the left flank – that’s a position we could strengthen this summer. I think it would be fantastic.
Aliadiere also offered some tactical analysis on the situation of Viktor Dijkeresh.
I think he just needs to be patient, keep faith, have a strong character, and truly believe in his abilities. Dijkeresh can turn things around. Obviously, I understand how difficult it can be when suddenly you’re not playing and sitting on the bench without really understanding why.
Looking back, he was the top scorer last year. Sure, there has been some criticism, and people expected more for the money paid, but ultimately he delivered. I think he scored some important goals and brings something different to the team. My only concern is that we don't seem to play in a style that suits him.
Mikel always goes back to Kai Havertz. Even after being out for a while, he brought him back for big matches because Kai fits perfectly into our style of play. We're not the kind of team that sends the ball forward to a striker hoping they can break away into space. That’s not really what we do. We like to control the ball, keep possession, and work it out to our wingers.
Sometimes, especially last season, I felt Viktor struggled because he wanted the ball quickly, to be one-on-one with defenders and break away, but he just didn’t get that service.
So my question is rather about whether we can play him in this team? And we can't deny, looking at the matches, that when Havertz plays, he delivers and does very well. It’s hard to justify keeping Viktor in the starting XI and Havertz on the bench when Kai is playing so well.
