Mikel Arteta will no doubt plead caution surrounding the signing of any new centre-forward this summer, with it not a guarantee that such a move will instantly propel Arsenal to long-awaited Premier League glory.
Indeed, it is not only through the middle where reinforcements are required, with an upgrade on the left flank also seemingly needed with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring just ten top-flight goals between them this term.
That said, fans and pundits alike are craving a statement acquisition of a new striker after what looks set to be another second-place finish in the league, with the Gunners having also come up short in the previous two campaigns.
Not since the summer of 2022 have the club forked out for a new number nine, albeit with even Gabriel Jesus not exactly an out-and-out centre-forward, particularly considering much of his work came on the right flank during his prior stint at Manchester City.
With the Brazilian having since been ravaged by injury – with Kai Havertz also currently sidelined – there is a real dearth of reliable options at the Emirates, a fact epitomised by Mikel Merino’s recent shift into a makeshaft target man.
Whether it is the difference between winning the league or not, the Gunners simply must sign a striker. If recent reports are anything to go by, the search has already started.
Latest on Arsenal's striker search
The leading target for the north London side remains that of Alexander Isak, although question marks remain over just how feasible a deal would be for the in-form Swede, considering Newcastle United’s £150m asking price.
With that in mind, the Gunners appear to be looking elsewhere in their extensive search, with Football Transfers naming Bologna’s Santiago Castro as a potential summer option.
As per the report, it is Arteta who is said to be ‘personally pushing’ to seal the signing of the young Argentine, with the Arsenal boss believed to be a ‘huge admirer’ of the promising forward.
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While the piece does mainly focus in on Arsenal’s parallel interest in Atletico Madrid starlet, Adrian Nino, the Spaniard appears more of a project signing, considering he only made his first-team debut for the LaLiga side in January.
Castro, meanwhile, may only be 20 himself, although amid a promising campaign in Serie A, he has seemingly caught the attention of Arteta as someone who could come in and make an instant impact at the Emirates.
Perhaps, he could well follow in the footsteps of a certain Alexis Sanchez in an Arsenal shirt…
Why Castro would be a good signing for Arsenal
While the Gunners did actually pluck Sanchez from Barcelona back in 2014, the Chilean did mirror his fellow South American by initially plying his trade in his homeland with Cobreloa, before then making his name in Italy at Udinese.
The now veteran forward – who has ended up back at the Italian outfit in the twilight of his career – notably scored 12 goals and provided a further ten assists in the 2010/11 Serie A season, before being poached by Barca, having typically operated as a centre-forward or second striker.
Castro, meanwhile, has followed a similar path after starting out in his native Argentina with Velez Sarsfield – for whom he scored nine goals in 64 games – prior to making the switch to Bologna last year, going on to score eight times and register four assists in Italy’s top flight in 2024/25.
Games (starts)
29 (25)
Goals
8
Assists
4
Goal frequency
266 mins
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
3
Key passes*
0.9
Touches*
27.1
Now valued at around €30m (£26m), according to reports in January, Castro is well on course to emulating Sanchez’s final season at Udinese, with now perhaps the chance for Arsenal to pounce – rather than signing him later down the line, like they did with Sanchez.
Having been described as the “complete forward” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the 6 foot machine does mirror the ex-Arsenal man in also being able to feature on the flanks, ensuring he could also rival the likes of Martinelli and Trossard in that left-wing berth.
Not just an “instinctive finisher”, in the words of Mattinson, the Buenos Aires native may also prove a valuable addition due to his innate link-up play, as shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 10% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion.
A composed presence both in possession and in front of goal, Castro could certainly be worth taking a punt on. With Arsenal having seen the success of signing Sanchez, amid his return of 124 goals and assists in just 166 games for the club, the capture of a potential successor will hopefully prove just as fruitful.
With 20 goals and assists in 46 games for Bologna since signing back in January 2024, the 20-year-old could well be a wildcard solution.
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