As much as the television broadcasters try to drum up some late dramatics, there is an air of inevitability to the fact that Arsenal will likely be trumped by Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title.

Alas, this has still been a fabulous season for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta has taken his merry reds to a Champions League quarter-finals and unlike the back end of 2022/23, there hasn't been a torrid collapse.

Still, they may well be forced to rue a late defeat to Aston Villa a couple of weeks ago come May 19th, the final day of the season.

If they do lose out on the title, heads can still be held high and with a transfer window just around the corner, there is a chance to bolster the squad ahead of another challenge next term.

So, who could walk through the doors of the Emirates Stadium? It's expected a striker could be on the cards.

Arsenal's plans for the summer

Reports last week suggested that Arsenal would potentially be open to selling Gabriel Jesus in the summer if appropriate bids came in.

It's been a troubled second campaign in London for the Brazilian who has found the net just four times in Premier League action. Torrid indeed.

Therefore, rumours of a shiny new centre-forward have dominated the rumour mill in recent weeks. One option could be Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy.

That's according to Caught Offside who report this weekend that a number of sides, including Manchester United and Newcastle, are admirers of the 28-year-old striker.

Bayern, Dortmund, Atletico and Milan are fellow interested parties. That said, there is a belief that the Guinea international would prefer a move to a Premier League side who will play in the Champions League. That would put Arsenal in pole position should they decide to make a move in a few months.

How Guirassy would fit into the Arsenal side

No team in the top-flight has scored more than Arsenal's 88 goals this term. The idea they require a striker, therefore, is a rather remarkable one.

However, there have been notable moments where they have struggled in the penalty area. During a run of four games across the Christmas period they were guilty of wasting plenty of gilt-edged opportunities.

That was notably the case in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool where Arteta's men spurned chance after chance. They then only scored once over three matches with West Ham, Fulham and Liverpool again, this time in the FA Cup.

Since then, they have found a solution, surprisingly in the form of Kai Havertz, a man who has scored seven goals and registered six assists during 16 outings as a centre forward.

Still, he only has 12 to his name in the league and a more traditional striker must be sourced. In Guirassy, they could find their answer.

As one scout put it, the forward has been in "insane" touch this season, finding the net on 27 occasions in 28 outings. With 25 of those coming in 26 Bundesliga matches, he really is one of the best in his position on the planet right now.

The Stuttgart star is in some pretty fine company in Europe this season with those numbers far eclipsing those at Arsenal.

Bukayo Saka is currently the club's top goalscorer this season in all competitions with 20 but has 16 in the league. It's been an incredible campaign for the Englishman but both he and those around him would no doubt benefit from a natural goalscorer.

Martin Odegaard could be one that feels the true benefits. He has eight assists to his name in 2023/24 but truth be told, it should be far more.

His expected assist total in the league sits at 10.55 and he has created 94 chances, only second to Bruno Fernandes (108) in the Premier League. The skipper has been on another level and has shown as much in recent weeks.

In the 5-0 rout of Chelsea a few weeks ago, the Norwegian created eight chances from open play. That happened to be the most by an Arsenal player in a league game since Mesut Ozil in October 2017 against Everton. Remarkable stuff.

Thus, if anyone deserves the chance to play alongside an elite striker, it's Odegaard. Perhaps Guirassy isn't mentioned in that breath quite yet but it's evident he can score goals and would surely elevate the club's attacking play.

Courtesy of Odegaard and Co, Arsenal already fashion chances at will but despite their incredible record in front of goal, there is room for improvement. The addition of a centre forward such as Guirassy would certainly help with that.