Berta readying offer: Arsenal opening talks to sign the modern-day Anelka

If Arsenal believed that they were the finished product, then Andrea Berta would have been the first to remind them that there’s still reinforcements to come after Wembley defeat against Manchester City.

It was a humbling afternoon which exposed the Gunners’ open-play problem. Even after two weeks of reflection and conveniently-timed, recoverable injuries over the international break, it’s a defeat that remains a sore one for Mikel Arteta.

For Berta, however, it at least showcased the problems that he has to solve this summer if Arsenal are to turn likely Premier League glory into an era of dominance.

Who Berta could sign this summer

The first item on the sporting director’s to-do list should be finding a way to get the best out of Bukayo Saka again. The winger has been a shadow of the player that took the Premier League by storm a number of years ago and the emergence of Max Dowman is beginning to raise serious questions.

Arteta could replace Saka & Madueke with Arsenal’s “modern-day Ljungberg”

It would be a surprise to see Mikel Arteta’s injured pair feature for Arsenal this weekend.

What’s most alarming is that Saka is yet to connect with big-money signing Viktor Gyokeres. On paper, that is a match made in heaven.

The Swede represents a towering striker who should do better with his hold-up work to bring others into play, whilst also having the pace to spin in behind.

Alas, even as the goals have arrived, too many games have passed him by. His inability to hold possession in the final third has left Saka isolated out wide, rather than in an inside forward role, and particularly limited Arsenal against Man City.

Bukayo Saka PL 25/26
Minutes	2,001
Goals	6
Assists	3
XG	6.99
Successful dribbles P90	2.2

Given that Kai Havertz didn’t have much luck on that front, either, Berta’s best route towards getting the best out of Arsenal’s star academy graduate could be buying another forward.

Christian Kofane could be Arsenal’s next Anelka

On that front, the Gunners could kill two birds with one stone by signing a future star and a player who could get the best out of Saka.

According to his agent, Eric Depolo, Arsenal are in talks to sign Christian Kofane from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with six other clubs also in the frame.

The Gunners appear keen to get ahead in the race, with Berta and co ‘expected’ to make an offer sooner rather than later.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed an excellent breakthrough campaign in Germany, scoring seven goals and assisting another eight in all competitions.

He clearly ticks the box for the type of players that Berta tends to target. The Arsenal sporting director is building quite the group of young players and adding Kofane to that group would be an act of genius.

Not only could the forward find himself partnering Dowman in years to come, but he could also make his mark next to Saka as early as next season.

25/26 League stats	Gyokeres	Kofane
Minutes	1,900	996
Goals P90	0.52	0.45
Assists P90	0	0.27
Successful dribbles P90	0.28	0.54
Chances created P90	0.76	1.27

Where Gyokeres is fairly one-dimensional as an out-and-out goalscorer, the numbers suggest that Kofane is more of an all-rounder – creating almost one more chance per game than the Arsenal star.

Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that those in North London took the gamble to sign another teenage striker in Nicolas Anelka.

He went on to score nine goals in his first full season, winning the double in 1997/98, and finished his Arsenal career with 42 goal involvements in 90 games.

Years later, Kofane could be about to follow in his footsteps and push Gyokeres all the way for a starting place in the same way that Anelka was competing with Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp.