The Elusive Number 9: What Darwin Núñez can bring to Arsenal
Introduction
In this series, I will be profiling players that have been linked to Arsenal in some capacity in recent weeks.
The profiles will be bitesize, easy to read and have some volume of analysis to really learn about the player. To kick off with, I will be looking at the all important hunt for our next star-studded striker.
As Champions League football is not confirmed for Arsenal next season, I will look at potential prospects for both scenarios. I will also take requests/recommendations to players any of you wish to see appear on this series. You can do this by either leaving a comment here, or directly on twitter at FPLSeag.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the meatiest search of the lot.
Darwin Nunez
Profile
- Club: Benfica
- Age: 22
- Nationality: Uruguayan
- Height: 1.87m
- Preferred foot: Right
- Current Value: £36m
“In a time that has been negative for the club, Darwin has been the biggest highlight of the Benfica team. He is young and has room for progression. If he was already wanted by several clubs in Europe, now he is even more”
Nuno Correia
Darwin Nunez is one of the hottest prospects in European Football this season, and if you haven’t heard of him I would advise you to come out from under that rock you’ve been sleeping under. With 33 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions this season to date, including six in six in the Champions League, this man now has a multitude of admirers around Europe. For Arsenal to land a player of this calibre it would show a real sign of ambition to the fans.
His rapid rise can be accentuated by the fact he was both Almeria’s 2nd most expensive signing and their club record sale the season after. He is unlikely to become Benfica’s record sale, thanks to Atletico Madrid and Joao Felix, but he will likely still gain Benfica a healthy profit from the €24million they spent on his signature just two years ago.
Strengths
Standing at 1.87m tall, his athleticism makes him a very prominent figure on the pitch. Deceptively quick pace for his size, he provides a real threat to opposing defences, comparative of Erling Haaland if you may. This man is like a freight train when he gets going at top speed, and he is equally as hard to knock off the ball due to his sheer robustness. A true physical specimen that works his absolute socks off and has the ability to impose himself on ANY game.
However, his physicality is not his sole selling point, but rather compliments his defying attacking intelligence. His awareness is a real stand out part of his game. He has the ability to occupy numerous defenders by making sharp, darting runs across the opposition defence, creating an abundance of indecisiveness and thus opening up spaces for teammates to ambush and invade.
Finishing wise, his goal tally speaks for itself. In his debut season in Portugal, he notched 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. An impressive return, justifying the 25 million Euros spent on his acquisition from Almeria CF just two years ago. His ability to remain cool in front of goal is one of his forte’s, often finding good angles before pulling the trigger, which can sometimes be quite raw in young strikers. Not for Nunez though, who looks to be a younger mould of his fellow countryman, Edinson Cavani. A Haaland and Cavani hybrid? The hype is real. We can see from the images below, in the Champions League game v Barcelona, Nunez is the antagonist of his own goalscoring opportunity, creating the angle before ruthlessly finding the bottom corner.
Combined with the devastating intellect of Martin Odegaard and the artistic feet of Bukayo Saka, Darwin Nunez could very well become a devastatingly good striker for Arteta’s Gunners.
Weaknesses
However, I must highlight the Uruguayan’s weaknesses too; which lies on the technical side of the game. Sometimes considered erratic, his first touch can let him down on occasions. Arteta and his coaches would have the task of honing him to the intensity of the Premier League. If he is to be brought in to play as our lone front man, his ability to hold up the ball will be paramount to this. A major point of interest for Arteta will be to have the option of long balls from Ramsdale also. In Nunez’ case, his hold up play and touch will have to improve in order to facilitate this.
In addition to that, he can be guilty of not using his physicality to the most of his advantage, particularly when he has his back to goal. This is something that he will be required to do more of in Arteta’s system, and also in the Premier League in general.
Summary
Nunez is not the finished article, every player has their advantages and disadvantages, but he is certainly capable of becoming a top player for Arsenal. If Arsenal are able to improve the technical side of his game, the world is at the Uruguayans feet. The acquisition of Nunez however, is most definitely reliant on the basis of whether or not we will have Champions League football at the Emirates next season. If we can return to the UCL, we would still need to win the race amongst a quantity of admirers, one notably being Liverpool, whom he scored against in this season’s Champions League, both home and away.
Nunez however recently sacked his agent and appointed ‘a representative close’ to Jorge Mendes, which unfortunately could mean a higher transfer fee will be required in order to secure his services.
A fee of around £60m could draw the Uruguayan away from Portugal, however bidding wars are expected, which could inflate his price even more.
