Viktor Gyokeres continues to find his future under threat at Arsenal, with the Sweden striker having failed to establish himself as the starter that Mikel Arteta hoped he would become when he signed from Sporting in 2025.

Persistent rumours suggest that Gyokeres could be sold next year to make way for a superstar striker. But in reality, Arsenal are interested in a profile as much as price tag. Any player coming into the club has to fit what Arteta wants tactically.

What does this look like? Based on the attributes that Gyokeres showed during his time in Portugal as opposed to what he’s delivered in North London, FootballTransfers has drawn up a power ranking of players who would fit the bill. And at No.1 is a striker who would represent the ultimate upgrade.

These players are natural centre-forwards recommended by data analytics firm SciSports, based on them having a strong current ability and an excellent future potential. We’ve filtered out unrealistic targets such as Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike to come up with five likely targets.

SciSports’ SciSkill measure is important in this process. This is a rating given to each player based on hundreds of in-game actions. To put the SciSkill scores into some context: Gyokeres has a current ability of 108.1 and a potential of 112.3.

5. Igor Thiago - Brentford

SciSkill: 104.1

Potential: 114.2

Made a massive impact on the Premier League last season when he delivered 22 goals for the Bees in an ever-present season. He’s not made such a profound impact this time around, but the burly centre-forward’s proven ability in the top-flight of the English game is likely to be attractive to Arteta.

There were some links between the Gunners and Igor Thiago during the summer transfer window, with Arsenal linked with a €92 million (£77m) bid for the Brentford star, however, these did not persist.

4. Julian Alvarez – Atletico Madrid

SciSkill: 111.1

Potential: 115.8

Arsenal were interested in Julian Alvarez in the summer, but the player’s stance was that he only wanted to move to Barcelona – a deal made impossible by Atletico Madrid demanding the Catalans match his €500m release clause.

Alvarez has precious Premier League experience with Manchester City, and while he has experienced a difficult 2026 both on and off the field, he remains a striker coveted by top clubs around the world thanks to his smart movement, technique and sharp finishing.

His desire to return to England, though, seems limited.

3. Rasmus Hojlund - Napoli

SciSkill: 100.5

Potential: 117.0

If Arsenal were to sign Hojlund, a player who ultimately failed at Manchester United, there would, no doubt, be a great deal of criticism. The Dane, after all, looked out of his depth in the main at Old Trafford.

But SciSports retain belief that he can become a top centre-forward based on what he is doing with Napoli, where he scored 12 and set up five in his debut Serie A season.

The gulf here between the player’s current skill and his potential is the greatest on this list, meaning that he would take the most work to maximise.

2. Thierno Barry - Everton

SciSkill: 103.8

Potential: 120.0

Barry’s goal return at Everton has not reflected his performances, with the player’s hard-working attitude matching up with Arteta’s ethos for graft.

It took him until December last season to score his first for the Toffees, and by the end of the season he finished with eight in the Premier League. He already has three in seven this term, yet he continues to be stigmatised by his early months in England.

The Ivory Coast striker has a very high ceiling, with only three centre-forwards boasting a score of over 120.0 currently: Kylian Mbappe (120.7), Harry Kane (134.8) and Erling Haaland (138.4).

1. Erling Haaland – Manchester City

SciSkill: 138.4

Potential: 144.5

Haaland is Arsenal’s dream Gyokeres alternative. He’s every team’s dream centre-forward currently. And circumstances surrounding Manchester City mean that clubs will be watching carefully the fate of the Etihad side, who were found guilty of 114 Premier League rule breaches.

Demotion to the Championship or worse could spell the end of Haaland’s time at City, and while he would undoubtedly command a sizeable fee, clubs will be queuing up to pay it for the best goal scorer of his generation.

With 120 goals in 139 Premier League matches, his output is unmatched and Arsenal would love him as an upgrade for Gyokeres.