Darren Bent has now revealed he would rather have a £9m striker at Arsenal instead of Liverpool No.9 Darwin Nunez.

A new centre-forward is seemingly on the agenda for Mikel Arteta and Edu this summer, as Gabriel Jesus has been deemed surplus to requirements, according to The Athletic.

Eddie Nketiah also seems likely to depart – according to David Ornstein – so we would expect the Gunners to sign a new striker.

So, which striker would Darren Bent rather have at Arsenal instead of Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez? Let’s take a look…

Darren Bent wants Jean-Philippe Mateta at Arsenal

Well, the 40-year-old has now claimed he would love Arsenal to sign Crystal Palace No.14 Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The Frenchman has exploded into life since Oliver Glasner replaced Roy Hodgson, remarkably scoring nine goals in 11 Premier League outings under the Austrian.

When asked who he would rather sign out of Nunez, Chelsea No.15 Nicolas Jackson or Mateta, Bent said on talkSPORT at 4:46pm on Tuesday: “Probably Mateta, at the minute. Look at his form. I can only go off off what’s going on right now.”

A towering French striker at Arsenal who wears the No.14 shirt? Sounds familiar.

Some might deem this to be an outrageous comment from Bent – who supports Arsenal.

However, Mateta actually boasts 12 Premier League goals to his name this season in 33 outings, whereas Nunez only has 11 in 34 Premier League appearances.

Only time will tell

Mateta is obviously on fire in front of goal right now – although anybody thinking about splashing millions on his services this summer would be wise to wait until at least January.

Prior to his incredible goalscoring run in 2024, the man from Sevran – who RB Leipzig wanted in 2023 – had only scored 16 goals in 93 appearances for Crystal Palace.

Therefore, recruitment staff should consider waiting to see if Mateta – who Crystal Palace signed from Mainz 05 for just £9m in January 2022 – is simply enjoying a purple patch in front of goal.