Bayer Leverkusen striker Kevin Volland was reported to be on the radar of Arsenal earlier this season when former manager Unai Emery was keen to bring the German to the club.
The change of leadership at the Emirates that saw Mikel Arteta replace his fellow Spaniard also led to a change in transfer priorities, so the search for the frontman was ditched to instead focus on reinforcing the team’s defence.
However, amid continued speculation over the future of both Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, it seems Arteta might be in the market for a striker after all.
And that could mean revisiting a move for Volland, who recently claimed he was “very interested” in a move to the Premier League.
With the 27-year-old’s contract at Leverkusen due to expire in 2021, he could be a low-cost option for the Gunners.
Volland's goal record isn’t particularly eye-catching, having scored just 76 times in eight years at both Leverkusen and previous club Hoffenheim.
But playing as a poacher or a focal point, the majority of his goals tend to come from within the penalty area, so he could potentially feed off the work of Arsenal’s wide players such as Nicolas Pepe or marauding full-backs Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin.
Volland’s strengths as a player also include an altruistic approach that allows others to thrive.
At Leverkusen, the undoubted star is 20-year-old attacking midfielder Kai Havertz, who has attracted the attention of Europe’s top club after two impressive seasons at Bay Arena.
Arsenal during the break
Despite playing in a deeper role, Havertz is known to drift into advanced positions where he tends to score a lot of his goals.
This often comes as a result of Volland’s movement and pulling defenders out of position to free up space for the youngster.
According to CIES Football Observatory, Volland has played 32 passes that have resulted in shots for team-mates, with 21.9% of them leading to goals. That puts him eighth in the Bundesliga for efficiency.
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His real terms total of seven assists is the most at Leverkusen this season, so it’s clear that Volland is a team player.
If Arsenal’s two first-choice forwards were to depart, Arteta has the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah who are both young but possess the potential to develop into quality players.
Volland’s selflessness at Arsenal would help bring on the club’s younger forwards, much in the same way as it has with Havertz at Leverkusen.
