At a Glance:
- Arsenal’s inconsistent attacking form needs a change
- 19-year-old Ligue 1 star could provide a new lease of life
- Would benefit from becoming an understudy to Gyokeres
Arsenal’s attacking form in the 2025/26 season has been complicated, with the team seemingly looking strong on paper—they are the second-highest scoring team in the Premier League—yet certain forwards at the club have drawn the ire of fans.
An injury to Bukayo Saka and the inconsistent form of Viktor Gyokeres mean that, in terms of high-volume attackers, Arsenal have rarely had a player they can rely on in every type of game scenario.
But there is one talented teenager who, if Arsenal were able to sign, would add a new element of youth to the project as well as potentially becoming the club’s talisman in seasons to come.
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Lyon’s Endrick has impressed in Ligue 1 despite controversy
It has been somewhat of a complicated time for Brazilian striker Endrick so far in Europe, having joined Real Madrid from Palmeiras in 2024 for £52 million as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
Only one goal over one-and-a-half seasons for Real meant that the talented attacker could not usurp either Kylian Mbappe or Gonzalo Garcia in the Spanish club’s pecking order, and instead would find himself out on loan to Lyon in January 2026.
He immediately impressed his new French employers, scoring on his debut vs. Lille in the French Cup, before following that up with a hat-trick in his first game in Ligue 1 in a 5-2 victory over Metz.
Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca has held the young South American star to high standards. While complimentary of his technical ability and skillset overall, the Portuguese gaffer said at the start of April that Endrick has an ‘obligation to do more’ in terms of work rate.
In the two games that Les Gones have played in since Endrick has notched an assist against Lorient off the bench, and followed it up with a top performance against league leaders Paris Saint-Germain in a 2-1 victory for his own side, scoring the opener and setting up Afonso Moreira for the deciding goal.
This performance versus the Parisians directed even more attention at Endrick, thanks to the statement made by PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, who, after Endrick celebrated his goal with a rather long celebration, seemed to confront the Lyon teenager.
Speaking post-game, Hakimi said that Endrick should just “stop doing things aimed at [PSG] fans” and “just play football, especially since he’s a talented player”.
While a confidence trait in young forwards is commonly viewed as a concern for long-term reliability, Endrick has shown that he can take criticism—like an uptick in his form after Fonseca gave him some tough love—and perform against the biggest team in the league.
Endrick could be a massive benefit to Arsenal, and the statistics might prove it
Palmeiras fans will remember Endrick fondly, given that he scored 11 goals in 31 league games for the club at only 17 years of age, as they lifted the 2023 Brazilian Serie A title for the second year in a row.
This shows that, as a prospect, he has strong scoring ability at a high level, but three years on, he has showcased a much more all-around playstyle at Lyon.
Since he joined the team in January, he has the most assists (six), most big chances created, and the most successful dribble attempts, with 29, out of any player in the league.
Although he has traits that are still raw, he also could end up in the perfect position at Arsenal as an understudy to main striker Viktor Gyokeres, offering more varied attributes to the Swede, who has much more of a poacher mindset. If he were to take on this role, it is likely he would replace a potentially outgoing Gabriel Jesus.
Other options in attack, such as Rafael Leao, would cost more than Endrick, and would be more under pressure to immediately perform like a star—and when considering that many players within the Arsenal project are now in their late twenties, some youth could be of benefit.
