We 'signed' Brian Brobbey for Arsenal in summer transfer window and striker question was answered

Arsenal are set to target a new striker in the upcoming summer transfer window, with Ajax's Brian Brobbey linked with a move to north London following an impressive campaign in the Netherlands.

Despite Ajax having an underwhelming campaign based on their usual standards, striker Brobbey had his best individual season yet, with the 22-year-old grabbing 22 goals and nine assists across all competitions. The Dutch international's impressive campaign has earned him links with a move away this summer, with Manchester United and Arsenal both reportedly interested.

The Gunners have been linked with a new striker for what seems forever, with Gabriel Jesus struggling, scoring just four times in the league as Mikel Arteta's side narrowly missed out on the Premier League title. So, if Arsenal signed Brobbey in the summer transfer window, could he be the difference between second and first next season? Let's take a look.

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Brobbey to Arsenal in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2024/25 season. This is how the Ajax striker performed.

On his arrival, Brobbey was thrown straight into the starting XI by Arteta, but the Dutchman struggled in the first half of the season before being dropped to the bench. By the end of the campaign, Brobbey managed 38 appearances across all competitions, with 24 of them off the bench.

In those 38 games, the striker scored seven times while grabbing one assist — all in all, a poor return. Bukayo Saka ended the campaign as the club's top goalscorer with 21 goals, while Jesus rediscovered his goalscoring form with the added competition, scoring 14 times.

At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best