Cody Gakpo is attracting a lot of interest from the big clubs in Europe in recent weeks with Arsenal seemingly interested. The 22-year-old forward has a contract with PSV Eindhoven until June 2026. According to The Athletic, Both Arsenal and Liverpool have accelerated talks in order to sign the young forward for next season. PSV are willing to let him go if the right offer comes.
The report adds that his valuation could go up to £42million but some clubs are discussing the possibilities of signing the player for £35million. Arsenal were interested in signing the forward in January following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Mikel Arteta is yet to find a suitable replacement for the Gabonese and Arsenal are keeping all their options open.
Cody Gakpo has scored 16 goals for PSV while also assisting 13 in 37 appearances in all competitions (stats via whoscored). He has spent most of his time playing as the left-winger. His goal involvement record shows that he is very prolific which will be very useful for the Gunners. Arsenal do want to strengthen their attack and also improve their quality of depth.
Arsenal are currently facing difficulties in sorting out their striker crisis. Lacazette has a contract expiring at the end of this season and the same is the situation with Eddie Nketiah. Arsenal is searching for striker replacements to help them win trophies in the next season. Cody Gakpo despite being a left-winger, has played three matches as a centre-forward and has scored 3 goals while also assisting twice in those three games.
Why Arsenal Is Going After The 22-Year-Old Sensation?
The 22-year-old Dutchman stands tall with his stature of 6’2 which helps him cover more space while running. He can also hold off defenders with his physical abilities. Moreover, the youngster also scans spaces well which helps him in decision making and burst into spaces. He can also fake dummy movements to trick his opponent allowing him to let the ball roll across his body to take a shot from distance.
Cody Gakpo is a versatile forward who is comfortable playing in more than one position in the forward line. He can stretch the opposition defence by hugging the touchline. He can also take up positions in the half-spaces to allow full-backs to overlap. This positional versatility makes it difficult for the defenders to anticipate where he can pick up the ball.
Cody Gakpo is also brilliant at linking up with his teammates and playing a quick 1-2. He also likes to lay off the ball and then accelerate to receive the ball. He is very quick with his movement but is also aware of when to slow down his runs to get more time on the ball. Gakpo’s assist record this season also suggests how creative of a player he is. His variety of passing helps the team to score more goals.
Furthermore, Gakpo is also an excellent dribbler who creates space with his dribbling ability. He likes to invite pressure on one side and then suddenly burst away to the other side. This allows him the space to turn at the goal. He can strike the ball with good connection even when he has little time and balance. That has been evident with his top-quality finishing this season.
Should Arsenal Sign The PSV Eindhoven Talisman Cody Gakpo?
Cody Gakpo takes 3 shots while also making 2.7 key passes and 1.6 crosses per game. He also completes 2.8 dribbles and gets 1.3 times fouled per game (stats via whoscored). These are very good stats for a forward and Arsenal could certainly benefit a lot from such a prolific player.
Gakpo plays 74 minutes per game in the Eredivisie and was also included in Team of the Week 5 times. He ranks 2nd in the Dutch league for the most number of assists with 13 assists and ranks first in the assists/90 ratio with 0.73. He registers 1.22 (goals+assists)/90 which is also the highest in the league (stats via fbref). His productive quality is second to none in the Eredivisie and Arsenal could use that in the big competitions they will be playing next season.
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The Gunners have a very good attacking department at the moment but will need strengthening to compete in all competitions next season. Cody Gakpo will provide the necessary quality in the first team and also depth to the squad. He can be one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League if he adapts well.
Moreover, if he does provide the same quality to Arsenal as he is doing at Eindhoven then paying £35 to £42million should not be much of an issue for Arsenal. Gakpo still has a lot more potential in him and could improve even more as the years pass. Mikel Arteta will work his magic once again for the young players to thrive and Cody Gakpo will certainly make this Arsenal side a dangerous side to face.
