Amid their bid for the title, Arsenal spent much of the January window seeking to provide quality competition for Gabriel Martinelli on the left flank, having notably missed out on a deal for Ukraine international, Mykahylo Mudryk – who ultimately sealed a switch to rivals Chelsea.
While the Gunners did subsequently strike something of a bargain with the £27m addition of Leandro Trossard – as the Belgian went on to provide 11 goal involvements in just 22 games in the second half of the season – it does appear that Mikel Arteta and co are still interested in strengthening in that wide berth this summer.
According to reports in Italy, the north London outfit are said to be interested in a move for Juventus wizard, Federico Chiesa, with further claims suggesting that the 25-year-old could be available for as little as €35m (30m), with just two years left to run on his existing deal in Turin.
Although the Euro 2020 winner has been impacted by injury of late – after only returning from an ACL issue late last year – the signs are that the 40-cap winger would prove an astute addition to Arteta's side, having racked up 42 goals and assists in just 94 games for the Old Lady to date.
That is certainly the view of transfer insider Dean Jones – speaking in an interview with Football FanCast – with the respected source stating that Chiesa could prove to be Arsenal's next Alexis Sanchez.
Asked whether Italian could emulate Sanchez at Arsenal, Jones stated: "Yeah, if you think back to what Arsenal used to get from Alexis, he's not a million miles from that, I do think he's got he's got some differences though.
He's just so, so exciting on the ball and the things that he's capable of producing on the spur of the moment, they're just so hard to defend. He's a really, really smart footballer, and I think he'd fit into that Arteta philosophy if they could make some progress on something like that."
How good was Alexis Sanchez for Arsenal?
While Sanchez may have somewhat soured his reputation among Premier League viewers following his dismal 18-month spell at Manchester United – where he scored just five goals in 45 games after joining the Red Devils in January 2018 – the Chilean forward was a truly menacing prospect when in his pomp at the Emirates.
Having been signed by Arsene Wenger from Barcelona on a £35m deal back in 2014, the 5 foot 7 ace went on to score 80 goals and lay on 45 assists in just 166 games during his time in the capital, including a stellar haul of 24 league goals in the 2016/17 season.
Lauded as a "special player" by Wenger, the 153-cap machine was evidently a truly immense talent on the flanks for the Gunners prior to his move to Old Trafford, having even showcased that form at current side Marseille in 2022/23, after bagging 18 goals in 44 games for the Ligue 1 side at the age of 34.
Previously described as a "hard worker" by pundit Gary Neville, Sanchez particularly impressed due to his willing work ethic and relentlessness in the forward line, with Chiesa seemingly sharing that trait as he ranks in the top 13% among his European peers for tackles made.
Most importantly, however, is the Juve man's ability – like Sanchez – to make the difference when it matters in the final third, having notably registered 59 goals and assists in 154 games during his time at former club Fiorentina.
As such, if Arsenal are looking to find a suitable heir to the Chilean marksman, then Chiesa could be just the man for the job.
