Arsenal have been keeping tabs on Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee as they eye a new signing up front this summer, but Charles Watts says he isn’t entirely convinced that the talented young Dutchman is what the Gunners need right now.
Zirkzee has long been highly regarded since his days as a youngster at Bayern Munich, and he’s now showing what he can do in Serie A with some eye-catching displays for Bologna, who have generally over-achieved under the impressive management of Thiago Motta.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Watts gave his insight into Arsenal’s interest, and suggested it probably wouldn’t make much sense for Zirkzee to be a top priority for the north London giants at the moment.
While the 22-year-old may have a big future in the game, it remains to be seen if he’d really have what it takes to make an instant impact at a big club like Arsenal and move them forwards right now, which is surely what they need after coming so close to Manchester City in the title race for two years in a row.
Zirkzee transfer: Arsenal expert prefers Alexander Isak
“There’s a long list of strikers who have been linked to Arsenal ahead of the summer window. Some are real big hitters, such as Alexander Isak at Newcastle and Victor Osimhen at Napoli, but there are some who are slightly less well known, with Joshua Zirkzee at Bologna one of those,” Watts said.
“He’s a forward Arsenal have been keeping tabs on according to some well sourced reports. Arsenal’s interest in Zirkzee was first broken back in January by Sam Dean at the Daily Telegraph and it’s a link that continues to bubble away as we head towards the summer. He’s an interesting player, one who looks destined for a big move soon.
“I can’t pretend to be an expert on him, he’s not someone I’ve seen a lot of, but he’s clearly got a lot of potential and would add something to Arsenal’s squad that they don’t really have in attack. Whether he would move the needle enough for Arsenal though at this point I’m not sure.
“I feel Arsenal are at a point now where any big money signings really need to come in and improve the squad immediately and I’m not sure Zirkzee does that. It would be a case of buying potential and while there is always room for that, Arsenal really need a forward who will come in and hit the ground running. That’s why I still feel they should throw everything at getting Isak out of Newcastle.”