Arsenal look keen to begin their summer recruitment with a bang as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his squad significantly ahead of next season.

A move for Kai Havertz is “very close” according to reporter Florian Plettenberg while the Gunners are continuing to chase Declan Rice, and these two signings would certainly improve Arteta’s first-team squad, especially with their quality.

The Spaniard will surely be hoping for more than just these two, however. Champions League football will be gracing the Emirates for the first time since 2016/17 next term and this suggests a stronger, more in-depth squad will be required ahead of bigger challenges.

With this in mind, the Gunners have recently been linked with a move for Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze, who is also attracting interest from AC Milan and Real Madrid due to his performances of late.

Any potential move could cost the club around €80m (£68m) which could well prove to be a stumbling block regarding a move, yet with his ability on the wing enabling him to register 24 goal contributions last term combined with his likeness to Gabriel Martinelli, might this convince Arteta to make a move?

Could Samuel Chukwueze flourish at Arsenal?

Judging by his excellent 2022/23 campaign, where he managed to score against Real Madrid, he shouldn’t have a problem shining for the club should Arteta make his move.

Chukwueze and Martinelli share similar styles of play as the duo share dribbling as a key strength and according to FBref, the Brazilian winger is the first-most comparable player to the 24-year-old star. With his rise to prominence over the previous two years, scoring 21 goals and grabbing 13 assists certainly suggests it isn’t a bad comparison to have.

Indeed, over the previous 365 days, Chukwueze ranked in the top 19% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (5.5) and progressive carries per 90 (5.12) across the big five leagues, while Martinelli ranked highly for both metrics too, sitting in the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (6.99) and top 23% for progressive carries per 90 (3.95), indicating that the pair love to get forward as often as possible and poses a danger in the opposition box.

With both Chukwueze and Martinelli scoring over ten goals last season from the flanks (13 and 15 respectively), once they get into the opposing penalty area, they tend to thrive.

It’s no wonder the Villarreal star has been dubbed a “permanent threat” previously by his boss, Quique Setien and if Arteta manages to secure his signing, he would add another goal threat to an already stacked Arsenal forward line.