Former Arsenal striker Mika Biereth has gone from one of Monaco’s hottest forwards to fighting simply to get on the pitch, with his situation now heading towards a potential exit in January.
Former Arsenal youngster Mika Biereth is facing an uncertain future at Monaco after the goals which ignited his career in France dried up.
The Denmark striker could be involved against Nordsjaelland in the Conference League tonight, which would be the first time he has faced a club from his country, but even his place in the squad is not guaranteed.
Biereth remained on the bench for Monaco’s opening two matches in the competition proper, the 2-1 win over CSKA Sofia and the 3-0 victory against Freiburg, while his opportunities in Ligue 1 have become equally scarce.
He has played only 15 league minutes over the past two months, in a 1-0 defeat at Lorient and hasn’t even made the squad in four of the last five.
Fellow former Gunner Folarin Balogun is expected to be picked against Nordsjaelland, while Paris Brunner and Matthis Abline have also been ahead of Biereth in the battle for a starting place.
It is a striking change from the start he made after joining Monaco in January 2025.
Biereth scored 13 times in his first 16 matches in France after arriving from Sturm Graz, form which inevitably brought Arsenal’s decision to sell him back into focus given their search for a deadly striker.
However, his progress since then has stalled significantly.
Biereth finished last season with just two Ligue 1 goals and three in the French Cup, but began this campaign with a new manager in Filipe Luis and another opportunity to establish himself.
He started this season well, scoring the opening goal in a 3-2 Conference League qualifying win away to Gornik after scoring in the 4-1 first leg win.
Abline’s foot injury and the expectation at the time that Balogun would leave also helped create openings for the 23-year-old. Biereth played 173 minutes in August, accounting for 91 per cent of his playing time so far.
Since then, there has been very little time on the pitch.
“It’s a difficult situation for him, but honestly, he knows his situation,” said Filipe Luis.
“The competition between the four front players is tough. I know it’s not an easy time for him but what’s important is that he doesn’t put his head down. There may be an opportunity and he needs to be ready.”
Unless Biereth can rediscover something close to the scoring run which lit up his first six months at the club, his situation is likely to remain difficult heading towards January and a possible exit.
His representatives recently met with Monaco officials and there is reportedly an agreement between the parties regarding the idea of a transfer.
Monaco paid €13 million for him in January 2025 and are not expected to recover that amount, but with the move no longer working as hoped, another change is now seriously being considered.
Born in London, the Danish striker, who has nine senior international caps, arrived at Arsenal from Fulham in July 2021 after scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 37 appearances for their under-18 side.
He scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 6-1 win against Chelsea Under-23s in September 2021 and reached the fringes of the senior squad, but never made a competitive first-team appearance despite four bench appearances (one in Premier League, one in FA Cup, two in League Cup).
Regular football instead came through loans.
Biereth made his professional debut with RKC Waalwijk in 2022/23, scoring twice in 13 appearances across all competitions.
He then scored six times in 15 appearances for Motherwell before Arsenal recalled him in January 2024 and sent him to Sturm Graz.
Nine goals in 22 appearances followed as the Austrian club won the league and cup double.
Arsenal made that move permanent in July 2024 for a fee widely reported at £4 million, and Biereth’s scoring continued.
He struck 11 times in 16 Austrian league matches during the first half of 2024/25, including a hat-trick against Red Bull Salzburg, while also scoring against Girona and Lille in the Champions League.
By the time Monaco signed him, his combined loan and permanent record with Sturm stood at 23 goals and nine assists in 47 appearances. Arsenal earned a reported €2m with their sell-on clause.
His explosive start in France suggested his rapid rise would continue, but the picture has changed dramatically over the last year.
Now, he finds himself struggling to even get in the Monaco squad with an exit in two months looking the most likely outcome for a player who has already shown a lack of patience in his young career.
Which club will become his seventh remains to be seen.
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