Boyhood fan, 31 goal contributions: Arsenal's ready-made striker emerges

Arsenal’s striker hunt has predictably been dominated by blockbuster names.

Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak have headlined the wishlist as the Gunners aim to add firepower to a side that fell short in the title race.

But somewhere below the fold, a more modest candidate continues to linger — and perhaps he deserves more attention.

Ollie Watkins will not get pulses racing in the same way Gyokeres might. He is approaching 30, has only just experienced his first taste of Champions League football, and does not possess the viral highlight reels of his continental counterparts.

Yet, for a club desperate to win now, the Aston Villa striker could represent Arsenal’s most logical and effective option.

Watkins comes with no guesswork. He is Premier League proven, having just delivered 17 goals and 14 assists across all competitions for a Villa side that came close to securing a top-four finish.

He presses relentlessly, stretches defences, links play intelligently and rarely misses extended spells through injury. In many ways, he offers exactly what Mikel Arteta’s side has lacked since Gabriel Jesus began to struggle with form and fitness.

Arsenal’s preference for younger, flashier forwards is understandable. Sesko has immense upside, and Gyokeres’s numbers in Portugal are undeniably impressive.

But there is no guarantee either will hit the ground running in England, especially under the weight of a £60–70 million transfer fee and immediate title expectations.

Watkins is ready-made. His movement, work ethic and positional intelligence would blend seamlessly into Arteta’s structured attack.

He would not require months of adaptation, nor carry the burden of being moulded into something he is not. He is a plug-and-play option with a proven track record in a system not too dissimilar to Arsenal’s.

There is also a personal motivation that cannot be ignored. Watkins grew up an Arsenal fan. He has previously described playing for the club as his “dream” and idolised Thierry Henry as a boy.

That emotional connection might seem trivial, but in an era of cold transactions, having a player genuinely invested in the club can be a powerful intangible.

The reported price is not insignificant, but it is a fraction of what Arsenal might pay for other options who carry more risk.

Watkins may never be the marquee name on the team sheet, but he might just be the difference in games where clinical finishing and intelligent movement are the margins between first and second.

In the end, signing Watkins might not generate the loudest headlines — but it could be the move that delivers the trophy Arsenal have waited two decades to lift again.

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