With Lacazette and Nkeitia's contracts expiring, Arsenal desperately need to bring in a top scorer, Arteta needs to seriously consider the issue of personnel replenishment before the 22-23 season, and the centre forward is definitely the first choice.
Shooters have always been a scarce resource in the transfer market, they generally have high prices, and player agents try to maximize transfer fees through offer wars. The Gunners tried to sign one of Europe's hottest shooters, Vlahovic, in January, but the latter eventually joined Juve from Fiorentina. The Serbian joined the old woman for £62.8 million and could play in the Champions League, something Arsenal don't currently have.
Recently, the North London team was rumored to be interested in Espanyol goalscorer de Thomas. The Real Madrid frustrated man, who is somewhat late, has been in hot form this season, scoring his 13th league goal in the same city derby with Barca. It's not an exaggeration to say he's vital to the Spaniards, as evidenced by some staggering figures.
The striker has been directly involved in 55.1 per cent of Espanyol's goals in La Liga this season (13 goals and three assists), second only to Benzema in the top scorers list, and it is no wonder that it has attracted the interest of Premier League teams. While Espanyol is in the middle of the league, the Madrid-born star is proving his ability to play for a higher-level team. If that momentum continues for the rest of the season, he could get more offers from the team in the summer window.
De Thomas' performances were not ignored by his home country, and Spain national team coach Enrique called him up in November after barca rising star Fati was injured. He has already made two appearances for the national team and is likely to continue to be called up next month as the number of goals scored increases. The 27-year-old de Thomas has entered the golden age of his career, with good scoring records in Valladolid, Vallecano and Espanyol, and he may be interested in taking on a higher platform to take on the challenge and use such opportunities to enhance his reputation.
It took him a long time to find his place, which is somewhat similar to Vardy in Leicester City. Arsenal tried to bring in a Blue Fox striker in 2016, proving that you can't easily dismiss a player when they're young, and everyone's stage of development is different. If de Thomas can gain influence like Vardy, he will contribute another inspirational story of football.
If he takes a bold step into the Premier League, Arsenal will be an ideal place to stay. His compatriot Arteta has built a very balanced team with experience and dynamism, with a heavier share. While Thomas's age doesn't fit the current criteria for reinforcements, he will no doubt add much-needed firepower to the Gunners' line of attack, something they have lacked for a lot of the season. The remaining two shooters could also follow in his footsteps after Aubameyang left, so the Gunners should reinforce the front line at the end of the season.
If de Thomas joins, Arsenal could welcome their own "Vardy".