In a recent report, Calciomercato stated that Arsenal are facing stiff competition for Benfica forward Darwin Nunez this summer. It has been mentioned that the Gunners will have to rival Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Manchester United in pursuit of the Uruguay international.
Nunez’s Excellent Numbers At The Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica
The 22-year-old is having a brilliant campaign in Portuguese football after putting in a series of eye-catching displays as the focal point of Benfica’s attack. Nunez has banged in 25 goals and grabbed two assists in 30 matches for the Portuguese outfit this season across various competitions.
The Artigas-born talent has been a consistent performer for Benfica in the final third based on his average of 2.8 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in Liga NOS. However, he has been a bit sloppy with his ball distribution after completing 66.3% of his attempted passes in the Portuguese first division (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Nunez Add To Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta’s Team?
Nunez has transformed himself into a prolific presence in the final third and can even create some decent openings for others around him. The Uruguay international can use his powerful 1.87m frame to win a few headers in the air and can even hold possession up to get his teammates involved in the attacking end of the field. He is primarily a centre-forward but can even fill in as a left-sided wide player if needed.
An up-and-coming striker of Nunez’s quality and skillset will no doubt be a welcome addition to Arsenal‘s squad in the summer. The promising attacker could be an ideal replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined Barcelona last January, at the Emirates Stadium.
We can expect Nunez to add more goals to Mikel Arteta‘s attack. The Uruguayan sensation ticks all the right boxes in terms of what the Arsenal boss looks for in his strikers. Thus, the Gunners would be wise to engineer a move to bring the Benfica star to North London when the transfer window reopens later this year.
