£55m Arsenal star is their biggest downgrade since Van Persie to Giroud
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Published Sep 11, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1
Matt specialises in football analysis, transfer insight and original feature writing across the Premier League, EFL and Scottish football.
A sports writer for 15 years, Matt graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in 2018 and has developed particular expertise in Arsenal and the wider Premier League while also reporting on clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Celtic, Rangers and teams across the EFL. He joined Football FanCast as part of its writing team in 2019 before progressing to Assistant Editor and then becoming a Senior Editor in 2021.
His work combines authoritative reporting with data-led analysis, tactical insight and informed transfer assessment. Matt regularly examines how players fit into different systems, what their underlying numbers reveal about their performances and whether transfer targets represent realistic solutions for clubs. His analysis aims to go beyond the headline, explaining not just what has happened but what it means for a team, manager or player.
Matt's journalism has also appeared through the Press Association, with his work featured by Sky Sports and the Daily Mail. He previously served as Arsenal and Premier League Editor at VAVEL and gained first-hand club-media experience with Chesterfield FC. Over his career, he has interviewed figures including Arsène Wenger, Ray Parlour, Alan Smith, Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton. Matt's voice has been heard across Arsenal Fan TV and Love Sport Radio.
Through his reporting, analysis and features, Matt brings readers credible football insight grounded in research, statistics, tactical understanding and years of experience covering the professional game.
Today, Matt leads Football FanCast's features team as Senior Editor, overseeing the publication's opinion coverage while helping shape its overall editorial standards and content strategy.
The centre-forward position at Arsenal has been held by some of the finest to play the game. From Ian Wright, to Thierry Henry, to Robin van Persie and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Gunners boast a rich history in that area of the pitch.
Between them, they scored 637 goals for the Londoners. They are four of the most prolific strikers we have ever seen in English football.
It makes the Olivier Giroud era all the more perplexing. After Robin van Persie's infamous exit to Manchester United, it was the Frenchman who was elected to lead the line. Despite his status as something of a cult hero, it didn't go all that well.
The story of Giroud's Arsenal career
Arsene Wenger loved an underdog story, he loved finding the next diamond in the rough, particularly out of French football. Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira are the most prominent examples.
Back in 2012, Wenger tried replicating that with Giroud. This was not a typical Arsenal signing. While he was French, the tall striker didn't have many superstar qualities, technically he was not particularly elegant. His story is an interesting one too.
Action Images / Tony O'Brien
Just three years before his move to the Emirates, the attacker was playing for Tours in Ligue 2. He was prolific, scoring 24 in 42 games during his final campaign with the second tier club.
It earned him a move to Montpellier where he was even more ruthless. His last season with the French side saw him bag 25 goals in 42 outings.
Yet, after swapping France for England, he struggled. It took Giroud seven Premier League appearances before he finally found the net away at West Ham.
While he would go on to win three FA Cups under Wenger, Giroud's time with Arsenal was marred with inconsistency. He was the very definition of a streaky player. After that strike against West Ham, he didn't score for another three games and then after scoring three goals in two outings against Spurs and Fulham, he went another five matches before beating the goalkeeper again.
The France international had his moments. Who can forget that scorpion kick against Crystal Palace? He's had an illustrious career too, perhaps one of the best in his nation's history. He's won a World Cup and until Kylian Mbappe came along, he was France's all-time record goalscorer on 57.
Sadly, he was a massive downgrade on Van Persie. The Dutchman left in controversial circumstances but he is certainly the best striker Arsenal have had since Henry.
Giroud never scored more than 24 goals in a single season for Arsenal. Van Persie's best campaign saw him score 37 in 48. He had a diamond of a left-foot and was by far the superior player.
Interestingly, there were a few months of crossover before Van Persie left. Once he did head off to play under Sir Alex Ferguson, Giroud became the main man, something that certainly stopped Wenger's men from kicking on.
In the present day, there is a big difference in quality between Arsenal's strikers again.
The new Giroud has emerged at Arsenal
Over the summer Arsenal were intent on signing an elite forward. They looked towards Morgan Rogers, only to be beaten to his signature by Chelsea. Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez were also lined up, only for them to stay with their respective sides in Madrid.
On the whole, this was not a good summer for Andrea Berta. Three attackers walked out of the door on a permanent basis and the only replacement they found was Christos Tzolis. It's left Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres to fight over the central striker berth. In an ideal world, Alvarez would have been the main man.
That honour, however, has fallen to Havertz. He is the Van Persie in this situation. While he might not be the prolific goalscorer the Dutchman was, the German is the leading marksman and he's fast becoming one of the best centre-forwards in European football.
That's not a statement Arsenal fans would have believed could come true when he first moved from Chelsea but he's now one of the most important players at the club.
The start of this season has proved that point. Havertz has three goals in five games this term and was simply magnificent against his former employers last Sunday.
This was a performance that showed why Arsenal can win the league with him leading the line. He scored a brilliant equaliser and was a menace for Xabi Alonso's backline. The German had the most touches (8) of any player in the opposition box and won more aerial duels (4) than any other player. He also created three chances; only Martin Odegaard and Tzolis provided more.
All Havertz is missing is the pace to run in behind. He has everything else. He's strong, he's a fierce duel winner and he can bring others into play incredibly efficiently. Lest we forget, he's one of the hardest working players in the top-flight too. No striker has covered a larger distance per 90 minutes this season in the Premier League and only one striker, Daizen Maeda at Ipswich, has completed more sprints per 90 than Havertz's 17.4.
Distance run per 90 minutes (PL strikers)
Player
Kilometers run
1. Kai Havertz
11.5km
2. Daizen Maeda
11.2km
3. Strand Larsen
11.1km
4. Igor Jesus
11.1km
5. Calvert-Lewin
10.7k
6. Gonzalo Garcia
10.7km
7. Oliver McBurnie
10.6km
As a result, Gyokeres is the Giroud in this scenario and the 1-0 win over Napoli on Wednesday was all the evidence required. The Swede ended 2025/26 as Arsenal's top scorer with 21 so he's not been a bad signing but he is a downgrade on Havertz and quite a big one at that.
Arteta has realised that fact too. It was Havertz who was preffered in the crunch moments last season, starting the Carabao Cup and Champions League finals. He also started the crucial league match with Manchester City.
This term, Havertz has been preferred too. He has started every league game and the Community Shield. Arsenal's trip to Naples proved why.
The overall performance was strong. The visitors had 26 shots and created an xG of just over four. However, of those shots, none were taken by Gyokeres who was making his first start of 2026/27. The £55m signing had just nine touches in the tie and only completed five passes. Unlike Havertz, he is unable to find a way into the game.
REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
This is not a new problem, either. Last season, Havertz had 41 touches per 90 minutes in the Premier League. For comparison, his Swedish colleague only had 26 per 90.
With Havertz in the team, Arsenal are better for it. With Gyokeres leading the line, the whole team becomes a lot more disconnected. The difference in quality between the two is stark.
3 weeks ago
16
Action Images / John Sibley
Action Images / Tony O'Brien
REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
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