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If Arsenal weren't willing to stretch beyond £40million in January for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who had only just turned 29, then it is understandable why they aren't jumping at the chance to buy Viktor Gyokeres. He is freshly 27 but has other worries around his game.

This was, it is expected, his last chance to sign for his boyhood team. Watkins has three years left on his contract at Villa and only has one big deal left in him.

Clubs are increasingly hesitant to offer lengthy terms to players over 30. Liverpool had to seriously consider it with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk (admittedly older but also better than Watkins).

He will either leave for free at the end of this month or he will extend his stay for at least another two years. As a player with injury problems only just leaving the rear-view mirror, Partey is justified in wanting more security and asking for a third year as well as going all out for his last attempt at a big pay day.

This is simply how the contract game works. Whether it is fair enough or not, clubs are reticent to commit to players who enter their 30s.

Because on the face of it, Watkins was exactly what Arsenal needed in January. He ended last year with 16 goals and eight assists.

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Watkins has an exceptional fitness record as well, which should not be overlooked. He has missed two league matches in the past three seasons and just six in five years. His output over that time has been remarkably impressive.

The former Brentford man has scored at least 11 times in each campaign, hitting 35 in the past two and 50 since the start of the 2022/23.

Given how their early summer search for a new No.9 has gone, maybe the Watkins pursuit explains a lot.

If they were not willing to go all out for Watkins in his prime, then why would they push for Gyokeres, who has not elite season in a top league? He does have exceptional goal-scoring numbers in Portugal but that comes with some sizeable caveats.

The level of defending and goalkeeping in Portugal is poor. Gyokeres is often afforded plenty of time and space to surge into. This is not to say he is not far too good for the quality Sporting CP are against,

Gyokeres has an okay rather than incredible box touches-to-shots ratio, which is a good metric to rate forwards on. Maybe he would increase those numbers under pressure in the Premier League, but it is a gamble to take.

Gyokeres has Champions League evidence to say he is worth the dive but it is justifiable that clubs have not fallen at his feet when there are alternatives.

Benjamin Sesko has plenty of red flags to his game as well, it must be said. His finishing is not brilliant, even though his ball-striking from distance is. He has raw speed and potential. At 22, there are years of development ahead.

The same cannot be said to the same extent for Gyokeres. He is coming into his prime and although it is never too late for players to adapt, it once more comes back to the question of risk.

Would Arsenal rather go for the younger player who provides an option of returning some investment or the older one? The answer, it seems, is clear.

Gyokeres, meanwhile, is waiting for something concrete. He couldn't have done much more to earn a big move this summer but it still might not come.

For Arsenal, it is no major surprise. Watkins was there for the taking and the club turned down the option. He was more of a banker than Gyokeres, even at an older age, and it wasn't to be.