Arsenal sold starlet for £4m, he's now scored 10 goals in 14 games after 7-0 win

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While Arsenal’s 3-0 hammering of Nottingham Forest felt like a return to form for Mikel Arteta’s man, concerns remain about the firepower at the disposal of the Premier League title challengers.

Or, more accurately, a lack thereof.

Arsenal are still the joint-lowest goalscorers in the division’s top six, level with Brighton and Hove Albion on 21 after 12 matches.

Kai Havertz might have adapted pretty impressively in the number nine spot over the last 12 months but, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus slipping some way off their best in recent weeks, profligate performances against the likes of Newcastle and Bournemouth felt worryingly like a sign of things to come.

That’s if if Arsenal’s so-called Achilles heel is not addressed sooner rather than later.

Ahead of the January transfer window, TBR understands that Arsenal are looking at Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani and Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon.

Arsenal believe Alexander Isak could be leaving Newcastle United at some point in 2025 as well, with contract talks stalling at St James’ Park.

Arsenal look at strikers as Mika Biereth shines for Sturm Graz

Now, one of Europe’s most in-form strikers has already admitted that a move to the Emirates Stadium would be nothing short of ‘fantastic’, via TV2.

But with Mika Biereth having only left Arsenal in a £4 million deal as recently as July, the youngster still has a long way to go before he can be considered a leading target for a club with bonafide Premier League title ambitions.

Yet, Biereth is certainly heading in the right direction.

Biereth secured a permanent move to Sturm Graz in the summer after a fine loan spell in Austria – Die Schwoazn ended Red Bull Salzburg’s domination of Austrian football in 2023/24 while securing a Champions League spot to boot – and the striker is already repaying that club-record £4 million transfer fee with plenty of interest.

In fact, with 11 since returning to Sturm Graz on a full-time basis, Biereth has scored two more goals than he managed in the entirety of that loan spell despite playing a game fewer. And while the former Fulham kid might have missed out on a hat-trick as Sturm Graz thrashed Klagenfurt on Saturday, there would be a treble of a different kind for him at the Merkur Arena.

A trio of assists, alongside his two goals, means Biereth is averaging more than a goal or an assist a game in the Austrian Bundesliga. 14 appearances, 10 goals, and five assists. Quite the return.

And, earning his ‘Danish Dynamite’ nickname over in Austria, is this the season where Mika Biereth really explodes into a centre-forward of serious promise and potential?

Biereth dreams of Arsenal return amid Champions League charge

According to reports, Arsenal are ‘very happy’ with the £4 million deal which took Biereth back to Austria. The sell-on clause they agreed upon back in July, per The Athletic, guarantees The Gunners a substantial windfall should Sturm Graz sell their star striker on for a considerable profit later down the line.

But as Biereth goes from strength to strength, and with Arsenal’s own attacking options going through the motions, perhaps a buy-back clause, alongside than a sell-on clause, would have come in handy too.

"Things are going well in Sturm Graz," Biereth told reporters this month, already eyeing up the next step in his burgeoning career. "I have nothing to complain about right now. I play every week at a good level, and now we also play in the Champions League.

"If I keep playing well and scoring goals, hopefully a change [of clubs] can come. But, right now, I'm focused on Sturm and on doing well and scoring goals.

"A return back to Arsenal would be fantastic, but it's not something I'm focusing on right now."