It's not been the most exciting summer for Arsenal fans this year.
While they looked good in preseason and have started their Premier League campaign brilliantly, they haven't strengthened much in the transfer market.
As things stand, the only new faces added to Mikel Arteta's first team have been Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino. In fact, the club have been far busier with outgoings than incomings over the last few months, which has left some fans unsure about the prospect of finally dethroning Manchester City this season.
However, there is still just about enough time for a late deal to be struck, and interestingly, the North Londoners have recently been linked to a forward who scored for fun last year, although his potential arrival could spell trouble for Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from transfers expert Ben Jacobs via GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal have shown interest in Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez.
The journalist claims that the Gunners have "looked at" the Mexican international this summer, as well as several other talented strikers, including Brighton & Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres, although he believes a move for the latter would be too expensive this year.
Jacobs does not mention how much the former Cruz Azul poacher would cost the North Londoners, but earlier this month, it was reported that Feyenoord deemed a £29m offer from Nottingham Forest acceptable, only for the player to turn down the move.
So, if Arsenal could secure Gimenez's services for around that fee, then this deal seems like a no-brainer, although his potential arrival could be bad news for Jesus.
How Gimenez compares to Jesus
Okay, so the first thing to point out is that, at the moment, it appears as if Kai Havertz is firmly Arteta's first choice for the number nine position, and considering he scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 18 starts there last season, it's not hard to see why.
So, that means that Gimenez would likely be fighting it out with Jesus for the backup role should he move to the Emirates before tomorrow night, which would make sense given the potential fee, but how do the pair stack up against one another?
Well, when it comes down to the most important metric of all for a striker, output, it's the "insane" Feyenoord ace, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out way ahead.
For example, in 41 appearances last season, he scored 26 goals and provided eight assists and in the campaign prior, he scored 28 goals and provided three assists in 50 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.20 and 1.61 games, respectively.
In contrast, the former Manchester City ace scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 36 matches last season while scoring 11 goals and producing seven assists in 33 appearances the season before, equating to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.25 and 1.83 games, respectively.
Appearances
50
33
Goals
28
11
Assists
3
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.62
0.54
Appearances
41
36
Goals
26
8
Assists
8
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.82
0.44
Unfortunately for the Brazilian dynamo, it's not just output where the Mexican "machine", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has an advantage, it's also in availability.
Over the last two seasons, the Gunners' number nine has missed 33 games for club and country, whereas his potential replacement has missed just four games through injury.
Ultimately, while Jesus is an incredible talent, his struggles in front of goal and inability to remain fit are big issues, and while he has yet to play in a top-five league, Gimenez looks like he could be the perfect signing to either replace the Brazilian or help push him to get back to his brilliant best. Therefore, Edu and Co should do what they can to secure his signature before the window slams shut.
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