Arsenal urged to shatter transfer record for PSG star as Aliadiere weighs in on Gyokeres dilemma

Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere believes the Gunners should look past marquee names like Kylian Mbappe and instead target Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in a potential record-breaking deal.

Following a summer transfer window that saw the departures of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, alongside the arrivals of Christos Tzolis and pursuits of targets like Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior, and Julian Alvarez, Arsenal retains the financial flexibility to bolster its attacking options.

In an exclusive interview with Live Football Tickets, Aliadiere broke down his dream signing and analysed Viktor Gyokeres’s ongoing struggles at the Emirates.

The case for Kvaratskhelia over Mbappe

Arsenal have been explicitly advised to raid Paris Saint-Germain for left-winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia rather than pursuing a blockbuster move for Kylian Mbappe.

While acknowledging Mbappe’s status as a generational talent, Aliadiere questions whether the superstar would disrupt the collective harmony of Mikel Arteta’s squad.

Weighing in on his ultimate choice, Aliadiere told Live Football Tickets:

“Wow, that’s a tough one. I’m a great believer in team balance, a good dressing room and a healthy dressing room in order to succeed. Straight away, I was going to say Kylian Mbappé because I think he’s just the best player in the world. But would he integrate into that squad and that team? Would he play for the team, or would he be more individual? I’m not too sure, so I don’t know whether that would be great.”

Turning his focus to the Georgian international, Aliadiere added:

“So I’d probably go for Kvaratskhelia at PSG because I think he’s a team player who works hard. And, as I said, he plays on the left-hand side, which is somewhere we could have strengthened this summer. I think that would be fantastic.”

Decoding the Gyokeres conundrum and the Havertz factor

While the prospect of adding a dynamic winger remains enticing, Arsenal must also address the tactical puzzle surrounding Viktor Gyokeres.

Despite arriving with hefty expectations and a prolific scoring record last season, the forward has found himself frequently sidelined in favour of Kai Havertz.

Aliadiere insists that Gyokeres must stay resilient through a frustrating spell:

“I think he’s just got to be patient, keep the faith, have a strong mindset and mentality, and really believe in his quality and that he will turn things around. Obviously, I know how difficult it is when suddenly you’re not playing, and you’re on the bench, and you don’t really understand why.”

“When you look at it, he was the top scorer last year. Obviously, there was some criticism, and people expected more for the money invested, but in the end, he did deliver. I think he scored some important goals, and he gives you something different.”

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However, Aliadiere points to a fundamental tactical mismatch as the core issue limiting the striker’s impact:

“My only concern is that I just feel we’re not playing the style that suits him, and that’s more my concern. Mikel always seems to go back to Havertz. Even after Havertz was out for a long time, he brought Havertz back in for the big games because Havertz fits the way we play and the style we play.”

“We’re not a team that, in transition, just hits the long ball straight away for the striker to run the channels. That’s not really what we do. We like possession, we like to keep the ball, and we like to go wide to our wingers.”

Concluding his assessment of the attacking hierarchy, Aliadiere noted the undeniable efficiency of Arteta’s preferred blueprint:

“I do feel sometimes, particularly last season, Viktor struggled because he wanted the ball quickly, to be one-v-one with a defender and run the channel, and he never really got that service.”

“So my question is more: can we play with him on this team? And we can’t deny when we watch the games that when Havertz plays, he performs and does really well. It’s tough to justify saying Viktor should be in and Havertz should be on the bench when Havertz is doing so well.”