Arsenal ‘put both Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins on their striker shortlist’ as Mikel Arteta searches for a new forward with out of favour Alexandre Lacazette set to leave
- Arsenal have been drawing up a list of strikers to replace Alexandre Lacazette
- Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin is on their list, according to a report in The Sun
- Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has also been mentioned by Arsenal chiefs as a target
- Lacazette is in the final year of his contract and is set to leave the Gunners
Arsenal have reportedly put Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ollie Watkins on the top of their list of wanted strikers.
Everton forward Calvert-Lewin and Aston Villa striker Watkins are two of the names Arsenal are targeting as they prepare for the departure of Alexandre Lacazette, according to a report in The Sun.
Lacazette is believed to be on his way out of Arsenal as he has less than a year left on his contract.
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin has reportedly been put on Arsenal’s list of wanted strikers
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has also been placed on their wishlist, according to The Sun
The 30-year-old Frenchman is yet to make a Premier League start this season after his preparations for the campaign were rocked by a Covid infection.
Arsenal could look into cashing in on Lacazette in the January transfer window to avoid him leaving five months later for free but coach Mikel Arteta is only willing to let him go if they can find a replacement.
They are unlikely to make a big money move in January, however, after spending £148million on six new players over the summer, splashing more cash than any other club in the Premier League.
Arsenal are plotting their move for a striker as Alexandre Lacazette is poised to leave next June
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is planning for the future and is said to be targeting young strikers
But whether Lacazette goes in January or June, his departure will leave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the club’s only proven striker and Arteta wants to ensure they are well prepared in the short-term and long-term.
Arteta has reportedly told Arsenal’s director of football to start searching for another striker now to ease moving on from Lacazette.
Arteta is building his team around youth, as demonstrated by putting so much faith in homegrown forwards Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka, who led their derby demolition of Tottenham last month.
Arteta’s faith in young players can be seen in his summer singings, such as £50m Ben White
Arteta has reportedly told director of football Edu (left) to start searching for a new striker
His emphasis on young players can also be seen in the players he brought in over the summer such as 23-year-old Ben White, 21-year-old Nuno Tavares and Takehiro Tomiyasu, 22.
Calvert-Lewin, 24, and Watkins, 25 are both older than any of the six players the club signed in the summer but still fit in with Arteta’s long-term vision.
But both forwards have signed deals with their clubs until 2025 and would cost a considerable amount of money to prise away.
Calvert-Lewin is Everton’s most exciting forward since Wayne Rooney and the club will be desperate to keep their homegrown star as they build for an exciting future at their new home on Bramley-Moore Dock, which they hope to move to in 2024.
