Arsenal are reportedly considering a January move for Brentford attacker Kevin Schade as Mikel Arteta looks for extra depth in the final third.
The Gunners entered the season with fewer attacking options than expected after Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both left late in the summer window.
Arsenal were unable to complete another forward signing before the deadline, leaving the club more reliant on their existing wide players and emerging youngsters.
Schade’s strong start to the campaign has now pushed him firmly onto Arsenal’s radar.
Arsenal preparing January move for Schade
According to football.london, Arsenal believe Schade’s profile could suit Arteta’s system and are considering making an approach when the transfer window reopens in January.
The 24-year-old has started the season in excellent form for Brentford, scoring three Premier League goals in his first five appearances.
His best performance came in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, when he scored both Brentford goals to rescue a point. He had also opened his league account earlier in the campaign against Leeds United.
That form currently places Schade among the Premier League’s early leading scorers, with only Erling Haaland ahead of a group of players sitting on three goals.
Schade’s qualities are easy to understand from Arsenal’s perspective. He is quick, direct and capable of operating from either flank or through the middle, giving Arteta the sort of positional flexibility he tends to value.
Schade could give the Gunners something different
Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Saturday showed why another attacking option could still be useful.
The champions struggled to play through Brighton’s press and failed to create enough threat once the game moved away from them. The loss ended Arsenal’s four-match winning start to the league season and was their heaviest defeat in three years.
Schade would not necessarily arrive as an automatic starter, but that may actually make the move more realistic.
His pace would offer Arsenal a different weapon against high defensive lines, while his ability to attack space could complement more technical players such as Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze.
There would still be questions over price and consistency. Brentford are under no pressure to sell, particularly with Schade in form, and January deals are rarely cheap.
But Arsenal’s summer departures left them slightly short in attack. If Schade continues scoring at his current rate, moving early could make more sense than waiting until his value rises further.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
