Former Arsenal Prospect Mika Biereth Thrives at Monaco Amidst Gunners’ Striker Void

As Arsenal approach the end of a season without silverware and lacking a consistent, recognized striker, a player who departed the North London club just 12 months ago, Mika Biereth, has emerged as one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers with AS Monaco.

The 22-year-old Danish international has been in sensational form since joining the Ligue 1 side in January 2025, scoring 13 goals in 15 league appearances. This impressive tally includes three hat-tricks in February alone and 10 goals in his first 10 matches for Monaco. His goal-scoring exploits earned him his first senior cap for Denmark in March. Since his arrival at Stade Louis II, only Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, with 18 goals, has scored more in Europe’s top five leagues. In contrast, Arsenal’s leading league scorer during the same period has been Mikel Merino, often deployed as a makeshift forward, with five goals.

Biereth, who never made a senior first-team appearance for Arsenal, was sold to Austrian club Sturm Graz for approximately £4 million including add-ons in the summer of 2024, before his subsequent move to Monaco. “I’m happy to find myself at Monaco and enjoying myself in life and in football and everything is working really well,” Biereth told BBC Sport.

His journey to the top tier of French football has been unconventional. After catching Arsenal’s attention while at Fulham’s academy, he signed for the Gunners in 2021. Describing himself as an “old-fashioned” striker who is “not too bothered about build-up play,” Biereth found the pathway to Mikel Arteta’s possession-focused first team challenging. “I stick to my job and try and do it as efficiently as possible, and that is score goals,” he explained.

Loan spells at RKC Waalwijk in the Netherlands (two goals in 13 games), Motherwell in Scotland (six goals, five assists in 11 league starts), and then Sturm Graz (14 goals in 25 games, including two in the Champions League) provided valuable senior experience. Reflecting on his time at Arsenal, Biereth said, “I think every time I got loaned out and came back into the building, there was a feeling there that there was no real opportunity. I’m not one of those who is just going to hang around… and hope for a little chance.”

Arsenal reportedly view Biereth’s development and subsequent success as a positive outcome, demonstrating their academy’s ability to produce players who can thrive in senior football, even if not directly for the Gunners.

The question of whether Biereth could have helped Arsenal this season, particularly given their attacking struggles following injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal have won just four of 12 Premier League games since Havertz’s injury in February), is one Biereth acknowledges. “Yeah, I think not only am I thinking that – maybe a few other people are thinking that,” he said. “When I was there, I was not really getting a feeling that there was an opportunity for me… I’d rather go out and prove myself and I think I have done that.”

Now, Biereth is looking forward to playing Champions League football with Monaco next season and aiming to help Denmark qualify for the World Cup. “I’m really proud to first get a move to a team in a top five league and then to start playing well here,” he stated. “With the international recognition, it was not only a proud moment for me but my family as well.”

Mika Biereth’s flourishing career serves as a notable counterpoint to Arsenal’s current search for consistent firepower up front, highlighting how divergent paths can lead to success in professional football.