New Delhi: Mika Biereth has continued his impressive start to life at Monaco. The Denmark Under-21 international joined the Principality for an initial fee of £10.8 million in January, just six months after leaving Arsenal on a permanent basis for around £4 million after an impressive half-season on loan in Austria, following his early recall from Scottish club Motherwell and time in the Netherlands with RKC Waalwijk.
Biereth has had an incredible start to his Monaco career, scoring another hat-trick in Friday night’s 3-0 win over Reims, propelling Adi Hutter’s team past Lille to fourth position in Ligue 1 and just three points behind second-place Marseille.
The 22-year-old was once again the talk of the Stade Louis II, where he plays alongside another former Arsenal striker, Folarin Balogun, after side-footing Monaco’s opener from a Caio Henrique cross at the back post after 34 minutes before volleying in from inside the penalty area just five minutes later.
He then scored a tap-in after the interval to complete another remarkable treble, his third in his first nine games for his new club and his first seven appearances in Ligue 1, having done so in the 4-2 win over Auxerre on February 1 and the 7-1 demolition of Nantes two weeks later.
Biereth’s three hat-tricks have occurred in his first four home league games for Monaco and he also scored in his debut home game, a 3-2 triumph over Rennes on January 25.
Biereth has 10 goals in his seven appearances for Monaco, making him the top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2025. He is also the first player in 70 years to score three hat-tricks in his first seven Ligue 1 games.
First player in history to score 3 hat-tricks in his first 7 @Ligue1_ENG appearances in the last 70 years! 😳🔥
HE IS HIM. MIKA BIERETH. WHAT A PLAYER. ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/XVPNmjgTWh
— AS Monaco EN 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco_EN) February 28, 2025
Arsenal’s missed opportunity and current striker dilemma
Biereth had previously scored 25 goals in 47 appearances for Sturm Graz, helping them win the Austrian Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup last season. He also had six in 15 for Motherwell and two in 13 for RKC Waalwijk but he never made a senior appearance for Arsenal, despite being prolific for Fulham at youth level before joining their London rivals in 2021 and being an unused substitute for the first team on a handful of occasions during the 2021/22 season while impressing with the Under-23s.
Arsenal’s decision to sell Mika Biereth to Sturm Graz for £4 million appeared to be a smart move at the time, especially with a sell-on clause that later earned them an additional seven-figure sum, reportedly around £2 million. However, given their current injury crisis in attack, the club might now be questioning whether they should have kept hold of the young forward. Strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been ruled out for the remainder of the season while wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are not expected to return before the March international break.
In response to the shortage of attacking options, Arsenal have resorted to using midfielder Mikel Merino as a false nine which initially yielded positive results. However, a combination of injuries and the club’s lack of reinforcements in the January transfer window has significantly hindered their Premier League title challenge. Recent setbacks, including a defeat against West Ham and a frustrating goalless draw with Nottingham Forest, have left them trailing league leaders Liverpool by 13 points. Although Arsenal have a game in hand, they only have 11 fixtures remaining to close the gap.
Another lost star: Obi’s United rise
Biereth and another Danish youth international Chido Obi could both be playing for Arsenal’s first team now if they had stayed put; the latter turned down the opportunity to continue with the Gunners last year following an incredible scoring run for the academy, instead joining rivals Manchester United.
He has continued his amazing run for United at youth level, with a selection issue at Old Trafford resulting in his recent promotion to the first-team setup under Ruben Amorim as well as his first two senior games off the bench against Tottenham and Everton.
🚨🚨| BREAKING: Chido Obi will NOT be playing for the U18s vs Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup tonight as he stays in Manchester with the first-team. [@NathSalt1] pic.twitter.com/01AzSpGygi
— centredevils. (@centredevils) February 28, 2025
Obi’s rapid rise to senior United contention meant he missed out on a reunion with former club Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals on Friday night, with Bendito Mantato’s extra-time winner securing a thrilling 3-2 victory for the Red Devils’ U18s and booking a last-four clash with either Aston Villa or Plymouth, despite a standout performance from 15-year-old Gunners midfield sensation Max Dowman.
Former Arsenal striker Mika Bereth sends another painful reminder for Gunners after scoring third hat-trick for AS Monaco against Reims. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
