According to recent reports, Arsenal are planning to make a summer move for Red Bull Salzburg forward Noah Okafor. Manager Mikel Arteta has reiterated the need to reinforce their attacking options and the prospect of signing the Swiss centre-forward.

The Austrian club have been credited with developing some of the biggest name in world football in recent years, most notably Erling Haaland and Sadio Mane. Okafor is the latest name that is doing the rounds as we approach the transfer window.

The North London side have been closely following the progress of Shakhtar Donetsk striker Mykhaylo Mudryk. However, the Ukrainian side’s unusually high asking price for the player have somewhat put off the interested parties.

Now, as reported by Italian outlet Calciomercato (via Caught Offiside), Arsenal plotting a summer move for RB Salzburg forward Noah Okafor. The 22-year-old will reportedly cost around £30m, given the attacker’s contract at the Red Bull Arena expires in June 2024.

Arteta may be interested in the Swiss centre-forward due to his versatility and ability to score from the left-hand side by cutting inside, something which Gabriel Martinelli has not been able to implement yet. AC Milan, Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in signing the player.

Player Analysis

Noah Okafor came through the ranks at Swiss club, FC Basel. He signed for RB Salzburg in January 2020 for around £10 million. Since then, he has made 100 appearances for the Austrian side, scoring 34 goals and assisting 20 times across all competitions. (Stats via Transfermarkt).

The 22-year-old has played in the central position for the Salzburg team this season and has already acquired 10 goals in 22 appearances. But where the striker has been most impressive is in the Champions League, averaging 2.7 shots, 1 dribble, and 0.3 key passes per ninety minutes.

Italian and English clubs, monitoring Noah Okafor for 2023 as interesting opportunity on the market — scored three goals in three UCL games this season with RB Salzburg. ⭐️🇨🇭 #transfers

His current contract expires in June 2024. pic.twitter.com/bcBwjv9npP

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 10, 2022

He has the versatility to play across anywhere in the forward line which will help Arteta to rest Bukayo Saka and Martinelli in certain games. The Swiss player has abundant pace and superb vision, and he can dribble past defenders in 1v1 situations.

The Switzerland international is someone who is technical on the ball and has good vision to pick out teammates. He is known for excelling in his off-the-ball work and can help his team in pressing situations which Arteta would love.

Okafor played his first match for his country in 2019 against England, and has gone on to score against Bulgaria and Czech Republic. He has already won 12 caps for his country including 3 appearances in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

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Despite the Austrian Bundesliga lacking quality competition which seems to make the top European clubs wary of making big signings from there, in the last few years, we have seen a lot of quality players rise through the ranks of the Austrian clubs – like Erling Haaland, Patson Daka and Karim Adeyemi.

Arsenal needs strong reinforcements in the forward department and Noah Okafor, who is just 22, has a lot of time to develop under a top-class manager. Hence, the board should go all out for his signature in the upcoming transfer window.

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