Striker Arsenal sold for £4m has more goals than Saka and Odegaard combined

A former striker who was shipped out last summer has suddenly become one of Europe's most prolific goalscorers. The player began his career at before joining the Gunners in 2021, but failed to make a single competitive appearance. He joined Sturm Graz at the end of last season before moving to in January, where he has really kicked on.

The striker in question is Mika Biereth, who has bagged more league goals this season than and combined. Since joining Monaco, he has scored 13 times in just 15 games to help them secure Champions League qualification. Saka, meanwhile, has managed six goals in the Premier League while Odegaard has only scored twice.

Arsenal would have reaped the rewards of giving Biereth a chance, given the problems they have faced up front this season. Their highest league scorer since the 22-year-old moved to Monaco has been makeshift striker Mikel Merino with five.

Biereth initially joined Sturm Graz for just £4million, which can only be described as an unbelievable bargain for a player of his quality. According to , he was allowed to leave Arsenal because they wanted to make a profit by selling him.

Even now, they are still thought to be convinced that letting him go was the right decision for all parties. The player will definitely be pleased with the way things have worked out, with his exit from north London giving him the platform to shine elsewhere.

Back in November, he reiterated this point by saying: "Making it at Arsenal isn't the be-all and end-all of someone's career. There are many ways of having a successful career outside of Arsenal."

Nearly a year on from his departure, the sky appears to be the limit for Biereth after hitting his stride at Monaco. However, the circumstances will be different next season under the weight of expectation to carry on his impressive form.

Reflecting on his time at Stade Louis II in an interview with , he said: "I'm happy to find myself at Monaco and enjoying myself in life and in football and everything is working really well.

"I wouldn't say that my career path has been the most linear or most easy to predict. I think that there has been a lot of moving around and a lot of different places and a lot of different cultures.

"That helps when you do make it and a move to Monaco, you can adapt really quickly and things go really well. I'm quite a simple striker, a bit old fashioned in terms of not too bothered about build-up play and appearing in too many YouTube highlights.

"I stick to my job and try and do it as efficiently as possible, and that is score goals. A lot of my goals are not the prettiest ones, probably rebounds within the five-yard line and really close to the goal. That's just how I play."