Arsenal returned to Premier League action on Saturday with a statement 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, shaking off some of the negative sentiment festering over the winter break.
However, despite the team putting five past Dean Henderson, Gabriel Jesus failed to find the back of the net, and as such, the talk of a new number nine has not quieted down.
A plethora of superstar strikers have been linked with Mikel Arteta's side this month, including the recently returned Ivan Toney, but the north Londoners might be better served signing the latest frontman touted for a move to N5 in place of the Brentford ace.
Arteta looks to the Dragões for his new number nine
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are on the lookout for a new striker in 2024 and, through new scout Paulo Xavier, have identified Porto's in-form forward, Evanilson.
The report has revealed that Xavier was brought into the club specifically for his brilliant knowledge of South American football. So, it isn't surprising that he has identified the free-scoring Brazilian, making him one of the club's top transfer targets.
The report has claimed that any transfer will likely cost the north Londoners around €75m, which comes to about £64m.
While that is a serious sum of money – and would make the Porto man Arsenal's third-most-expensive signing ever – the fact that he has scored 14 goals in 19 appearances this season suggests he may well be worth it.
How Evanilson compares to Ivan Toney
Now, with Arsenal's acute need for a clinical finisher – they have scored 24 goals in open play from an expected goals figure of 32.12 – they would likely see an immediate upturn in the number of goals they score with either of these fantastically talented strikers, but if the club want to make the best long-term decision, then they should sign Evanilson, and there are a couple of reasons why.
Firstly, the Porto star only turned 24 in October, whereas Toney is a couple of months away from his 28th birthday, and while some may scoff at the idea that four years or so matters, it really does.
Squad building is an essential part of the modern game, and if Arsenal want their team to keep fighting on all fronts for the next decade or so, then it makes sense to prioritize singing a striker who matches up with the age profile of their other attacking talent. If not, they could end up with another Thomas Partey-esque issue and get stuck in a cycle of replacing a key player every summer.
Moreover, according to The Athletic, the statistical peak for a striker is 27 years old, and with a move for Toney looking increasingly like a summer transfer, he will only have a short time in N5 before his output perhaps starts to dwindle.
The second reason is that, simply put, the "serious talent", as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, looks more impressive when examining the pair's underlying numbers and appears to be a much better fit for what Arteta is likely looking for in a new striker.
For example, while Toney produced a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure last season than the former Fluminense man has this season, he averaged fewer non-penalty goals and assists, suggesting that not only is he less clinical than the 24-year-old, but he is also involved in less of the build up – something that is unlikely to fly under Arteta.
Furthermore, the Porto ace takes more shots on target per 90 but requires fewer to score, and he produces more shot-creating and goal-creating actions than the Brentford star.
Evanilson
Toney
0.47
0.56
0.61
0.43
0.23
0.12
1.68
0.43
2.29
2.41
1.07
1.01
0.57
0.42
75.6%
59.5%
2.51
2.01
0.46
0.24
0.76
0.49
In his defence, Toney makes more progressive passes per 90, but his overall passing accuracy is significantly worse, which would likely cause problems in a more ball-dominant side like Arsenal.
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Ultimately, with his age profile and tremendously impressive underlying numbers, Kulig's claim that Evanilson "would fit ANY European top club" is likely valid, and with that in mind, Arteta and Edu should be doing all they can to get this deal over the line as quickly as they can.