Inside Arsenal's plan to have a new striker for next season - despite reservations over a Euro goal machine... and why Marcus Rashford is no longer on their list: THE SAMI MOKBEL COLUMN

By the start of next season, the expectancy is for Arsenal to have a shiny new centre forward in situ. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will be gearing up to enter the transfer window ahead of next season The decision could be seen as 12 months too late, with the club opting to stick with an in-form Kai Havertz at the end of the 2023-24 Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak is one of the candidates who ticks myriad boxes The German scored nine goals in his final 18 games for the club last term. RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko is another striker enjoying an impressive spell in top flight football Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres is coveted by a number of top European teams, but his age could be a cause for concern Representatives of the striker, who scored 28 goals for club and country last season, have been invited to the Emirates on numerous occasions so relations in that aspect are healthy. Spurs keep their promises to Leeds transplant Tottenham have kept their word to summer signing Archie Gray, who joined the London club despite Manchester City’s interest amid assurances he’d play regular first-team football. Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman has won plaudits for his role helping identify talent across John Textor's ownership group Sister side Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores at the start of the month for the first time Indeed, Freedman is understood to hold regular dialogue with his counterparts at Botafogo, after representatives from the club visited Palace on a fact-finding mission in 2022.