They are like prime Ozil & Sanchez: Arsenal ramp up plans to sign £200m duo

Last summer Andrea Berta spent the best part of £250m on making this Arsenal team ready to win the Premier League title.

Enough was enough. The Gunners needed to win now and most of their signings were with the intention of doing that. Instead of landing the project striker in Bejamin Sesko, they got the proven goal machine in the form of Viktor Gyokeres.

Likewise, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi had both been performing an incredibly high level for Crystal Palace and Real Sociedad for years.

Well, it would appear they are not ready to relent in their pursuit of proven players. Berta is ready to smash the transfer window out of the park again.

Arsenal chasing big money forwards this summer

A year ago, Berta’s primary task was to bring a new striker to the Emirates Stadium and he did so by luring Gyokeres away from Sporting CP in Portugal.

The Swede had proven himself to be one of the most menacing centre-forwards in the whole of Europe during his time in Lisbon, ending last campaign with a staggering 54 goals in 52 games.

While it may not have all worked out for the former Coventry City man since returning to England, he has been a rather underrated signing. Gyokeres has 21 goals to his name in all competitions. He will end a Premier League title winning campaign and potentially a Champions League winning season as their top scorer. No one in the world can criticise him for his ability in front of goal.

That, however, does not mean that Arsenal’s recruitment team should rest on their laurels when the upcoming window opens.

According to TEAMtalk, they are planning major moves for two big-money forwards. The first of which is Morgan Rogers.

Reports from a few days ago suggested that initial talks had been held with the player’s camp and now fresh claims indicate that Arsenal have ‘stepped up their interest’ in the Aston Villa star.

The Premier League champions are said to be ‘huge admirers’ of the England international with both Berta and Mikel Arteta in agree,emt that he is someone the Gunners should try to sign.

Rogers isn’t the only big name on their radar with Julian Alvarez’s name doing the rounds again. The same report outlines that any move for the Villa attacker would not impact their plans to sign Alvarez.

The Argentine has been subject of intense speculation since the end of the season with Arsenal allegedly willing to meet Atletico Madrid’s £100m asking price. Coincidentally, that’s the same price that may be required to prise Rogers away from Villa Park.

Why Rogers and Alvarez could be the new Ozil and Sanchez

Partnerships. They often make or break a team. A number of years ago, Arsenal were relying on the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis to dig them out of a hole. The team certainly looked broken then. Now, in the title winning team, it is Gabriel and William Saliba who have become one of the finest defensive pairings ever seen in Premier League history.

In the forward line, truthfully, we have not seen an attacking cominbation quite as vibrant as a certain Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

Their time in north London both ended controversially. Sanchez headed for Manchester United, a move he has admitted he regrets while Ozil finally departed the Gunners after his powers and general interest had begun to wane. His body language never looked great on the pitch.

Yet, no one can doubt their overall performance levels. These are two of the finest players of the Emirates era and by signing both Rogers and Alvarez, they could finally replace them.

In the case of Ozil, they once had one of the finest, if not the finest no.10 of the modern era. After leaving Real Madrid behind following a lorry load of assists, he didn’t slow down upon arrival to English football. Back in 2015/16, he registered as many as 19 assists. Only Thierry Henry with 20 has ever delivered more in a single season for Arsenal.

Rogers is cut from a slightly different cloth. He’s more progressive and dangerous with his dribbling and he can also play out wide. However, like Ozil, he’s a brilliant creator of chances. In 2024/25, the England star supplied 16 assists for his teammates across all competitions.

Playing in the no.10 role for Arsenal, there is every reason to believe Arteta could secure the club’s best attacking midfielder since the days of Ozil. Sure, skipper Martin Odegaard can unlock a defence much in the same way, but he’s becoming injury prone and his numbers are dropping.

In the case of Sanchez, there are some really striking similarities between him and Alvarez. Chiefly, that is the ability to create goals and score in pretty equal measure.

You could argue that neither player is an out and out centre-forward, they’re more of a false 9 profile and as a result, they are more involved in the build-up than a classic striker.

While Alvarez has banged in the goals for Atleti, netting 29 in 2024/25 and 20 in 2025/26, he is not just ruthless in front of goal. Indeed, during his final term with Manchester City in 2023/24, the Argentine registered 13 assists.

In that regard he is cut from a similar cloth as Arsenal’s former Chilean. His best season in the English capital, 2016/17, saw him score a mindboggling 30 goals and assist 15. These were Henry type of numbers from someone who was not just an elite goalscorer but also an elite creator of chances.

While signing both players does feel particularly unlikely this summer, just imagine if Berta could get his hands on both of them. Arteta could put together the club’s most dangerous attack since the days of Ozil and Sanchez.