Former Arsenal player Emanuelle Petit has suggested his former club not to sign Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. The Isak rumour has been sparked lately with the London-based club looking for an ideal replacement for Gabriel Jesus who has struggled with injury.
“I don’t think it would be a good decision by Arsenal to buy Isak for a big price,” Petit said via Goal. “Arsenal’s transfer policy is very good, and they should keep their policy rather than fund clubs like Chelsea, Newcastle or those kinds of clubs.
“Arsenal shouldn’t splash their money like that. Isak would be a good addition to the squad, but there are players outside of England that could have the same impact.”
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Isak has shown impressive work as a forward for Newcastle this season. In the league alone, the Swedish has scored 15 goals from 23 appearances for The Magpies. His profile is considered to match with Arsenal’s criteria as the club is struggling enough with Kai Havertz upfront.
However, Petit is not a big fan of the idea of Isak moving to Emirates Stadium this summer. Instead, he recommended Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao as the guy Arsenal are looking for.
“I really like Nico Williams and could play up front for Arsenal,” he told Genting Casino via Goal. “He’s very fast, can be an independent goalscorer and combines with teammates. A lot of people said signing Haaland for Man City was a mistake, but the way they control the ball in the opponent’s half, they can create lots of chances for him.”
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Petit added that Brentford’s Ivan Toney could also be an option if Arsenal want to boost their goal-scoring rate. He also mentioned that The Gunners manager Mikel Arteta could follow the steps of his teacher Pep Guardiola in terms of planning the club’s strategy.
“Arsenal need a 20-goals-per-season striker, they currently have a few players who can score 10-15 goals per season, like how Man City used to be. Pep Guardiola changed the system because he knew he needed a striker who could score lots of goals.
“In Erling Haaland’s first season, he broke goal-scoring records and won the Champions League. Mikel Arteta will follow the steps of Guardiola, the way their teams play and a striker would be a cherry on top of the cake. I think Nico Williams or Ivan Toney could score as many goals as Haaland does for Man City at Arsenal.”
Arsenal could potentially be a double-winner this season as they are topping the Premier League with 71 points alongside Liverpool. In the Champions League, Arteta’s squad will still have at least another 90 minutes to see their fate in the tournament when playing Bayern Munich away at Allianz Arena next week.