After a Premier League season full of genuinely impressive performances, including big wins over Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal had to settle for second place for the second year running.
Mikel Arteta's side pushed Manchester City all the way, but yet again, they go into the summer with a big job on their hands and, based on a number of reports, are in the market for a striker.
However, while the club might sign the perfect number nine to lead the line next year, they still need a reliable backup to replace Eddie Nketiah, and as it turns out, they might just have one in a player who just won a title, as well as comparisons to Erling Haaland of all people.
Mika Biereth's season in numbers
The player in question is 21-year-old Danish striker Mika Biereth, who has spent the season on loan in Scotland and Austria.
The youngster joined Arsenal from fellow London outfit Fulham in July 2021, and after lighting it up for the youth sides – scoring 12 goals and providing five assists for the U23s – and a mediocre loan move to RKC Waalwijk last season, he joined Scottish Premiership side Motherwell on loan last summer.
Unlike his time in the Netherlands, the London-born ace got off to a flyer north of the border, and by the time the January transfer window had come around, he had six goals and five assists to his name in just 15 appearances.
Appearances
15
22
37
Goals
6
9
15
Assists
5
4
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.73
0.59
0.64
This incredible form led to Arsenal recalling him and sending him to Austrian first-division side Sturm Graz – where Rasmus Højlund caught Atalanta's attention – who were in the midst of a title race with RB Salzburg.
Over the next few months, the 6 foot 2 forward scored nine goals and provided four assists in just 22 outings to help the Graz-based side end Salzburg's ten-year dominance.
Comparisons to Nketiah and Haaland
Clearly a player with a sense of humour and a willingness to engage in self-deprecation, the Dane described himself as like "a s**t [Erling] Haaland and a s**t [Harry] Kane" in an interview with the i newspaper earlier this year, saying “like Haaland, all I really care about is scoring goals. If you’d offer me two touches of the ball and two goals I’d take that. For me, it’s all about scoring goals."
However, as journalist Oliver Young-Myles points out, there are similarities between the pair beyond just goalscoring.
For starters, like Biereth, the City superstar cut his teeth in the Austrian Bundesliga, joining Salzburg from Molde in January 2019 before making the leap to Borussia Dortmund the following winter and truly announcing himself to the wider footballing public at large.
Moreover, the Arsenal youngster has thrived on loan, and while his return of 13 goals and assists in 22 games isn't quite on the level of the Norwegian's 36 in 27, the fact that he succeeded in a league that can be quite challenging should encourage those at the Emirates.
And on that topic, while his numbers don't stack up to those of the City phenom, they certainly look better than the player he could replace next season, Nketiah.
For example, in 37 appearances this term, the Englishman has only scored six goals and provided three assists, which, when held up to Biereth's 15 goals and nine assists in as many games, looks rather underwhelming, to put it lightly.
Appearances
37
Goals
6
Assists
3
Goal Involvements per Match
0.24
Ultimately, while the Gunners' young striker is unlikely to match Haaland's inhuman output, he has shown an ability to score goals and provide assists, which Nketiah has struggled to do this year.
So next season, when the level has to be that bit higher throughout the squad, Arteta should appoint the Dane as his backup forward instead of the Englishman.
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