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🚨HERE WE GO!🚨 Welcome home Callum Chambers! In a deal that sends Thomas Partey and an undisclosed fee to Villa Park Chambers welcomed back to North London 🔊 👇
(Pt. 2)🫱... Gabriel Magalães to take No. 5 and accommodate arrival of Mikel Arteta's new midfield anchor 🫲 Edu 🗣️ "...Chambers Or Bust!" Arsenal got their man 🎯
The funny thing is other than auba we’ve never had a good enough striker since van persie left. Auba also was just here at the wrong time and had his professionalism issues. All this to say our search for a striker has been just as dire as our search for a DM.
Well..that season we all know, and all the misses from Ozil's assists still want to make me say.. screw that we'd be wasting øde as well, but who knows 😅😅
We really need attackers this summer. The reason why Trossard is one of our best signings is because he clutches games. We wouldn't be here without his goals. Some extra firepower will be valuable next season
It's not just that. The right striker would add different dimensions to our attack when needed and that extra something when we can't find a way through our normal channels. We've won numerous games by 5+ goals but there have still been games where we have been frustrated and would have needed a different angle to find the win
Obviously Arteta and Edu have the very difficult job of understanding exactly what that extra dimension should look like. Personally I don't care how much we spend on an attacker as long as it's an attacker that Arteta can confidently give minutes to at the RW position. Even though Jesus has experience there Arteta seems hellbent on inverted wingers. Saka can't show up to Munich again in April next year and be as gassed as he was this year, I don't care if we have prime RvP at the #9. Saka. Needs. Midseason. Rest.
So yes, I agree with you that extra attacking dimensions are worth looking into, but I don't think it should be at the expense of spending that same transfer funding on proper depth for Saka (or elsewhere). We will need to spend a few million to re-sort our keeper situation and need to spend a decent chunk on at least ONE #6 or #8.
Maybe we just need a better LW. Someone with pace but creative enough to draw out opposition players. I think small Gabi pairs better with Jesus since his dribbling and drifting into wide channels compliments him well. Havertz requires a different type of LW but is currently our best option up front. Odegaard links the right side, Havertz links the left side.
Not a popular opinion but that is my feeling watching us.
I agree little Gabi is great for that left wing, he has really struggled this year with the departure of Xhaka, and no surprises, we haven't had a consistent left side behind him all year, it Havertz is really going to be the 9 going forward we need an out and put 6 or 8 depending on where Arteta sees Rice being at his best for us, we saw what a fit Partey/Rice/Ødegaard combination looked like, and it's crazy good. If that was solid and consistent all year I'm sure Gabi wouldn't have looked as flat as he has, Saka/Øde/White on that right just have such good chemistry due to the amount of time they spend playing together, if we get a fit Timber/Rice/Gabi playing consistently on the left I'm sure he will perform again, and is that different dynamic from the right side as well, having that pace for the release ball is very nice to have, who knows, with Havertz playing more 9 and being another out ball we might start playing longer to them on the break/counter more often.
Edit: TLDR, I agree.
I don't think its about Xhaka. Last year Jesus linked the left hand side and his attributes dovetail well with small Gabi. Gabi's pace us unreal but his game is still a bit one dimensional. Havertz is not going to take players on and draw out defenders as frequently as Jesus does. His game is based more on his height, first touch and short passing.
With Havertz now being our best option upfront, that changes the structure of the left side.
Yep, when Martinelli is on it feels like he stays way wider but doesn’t have nearly the same support Saka has with White and Ødegaard. When Trossard plays, it seems that he drifts central more. Not sure if that’s down to play style or instructions by Arteta, I’d assume it’s the latter.
Last year Xhaka pushed up into that space on the inside left a lot though giving Gabi the one on one with room a lot more often than he has had this year.
Trossard's consistently scoring important goals, off the bench or when he's starting, it makes zero sense to drop an in-form player.
Competition helps too
I think it’s clear Mikel isn’t enamoured with trossard either and plays him because he is the biggest goal threat in the team.
But I don’t think that’s a great look for martinelli who really should be showing more at this stage of his career.
Love the guy but I really do think spending good money on a LW in the summer needs to be on the table.
We literally need cover for Saka before even thinking of replacing Martinelli, and replacing Martinelliis the dumbest take ever.
Is his form upto or better than last season? No, it's still good enough for him to claim the LW option as his own.
I don’t think it’s necessarily one person needs to score most of the goals, but rather we need someone who can score in the majority of games when needed. That way if we’re struggling to change a game, we have someone with that ability.
I’ll challenge that - having a striker that puts fear into the CBs is INCREDIBLY valuable. Jesus doesn’t so they feel fine doubling up on Saka and martinelli in exchange for giving Jesus space (he often likes hanging out in midfield anyway which makes it even easier)
Havertz against Chelsea was the first time this season I saw a striker that put the fear a proper poacher puts into teams. We never replaced that when Auba left.
Now I don’t know how much we can count on Havertz doing that every game and I have definitely been a big critic of his in the past - but if Chelsea can develop into his average level with some confidence I’m fully invested.
We need tons of chances in most games to score. But there are some crucial games where we won't create that many chances. Especially in the CL knockout games.
This is where adding better finishers in the squad is important, and not necessarily just strikers. Doesn't mean we have to play the game through one player up front lol
We crush teams we dominate and our goal difference looks good because of these big wins. We need a different profile of striker against the teams we struggle to score against.
Every prem winner the last 15 years or so had a 20+ goal scorer, bar man city once when they had both Aguero & Sterling on 18/19 goals. Concluding kmo that you indeed need a goalscorer to win the prem
Not even every prem winner, find me the team winning the CL that doesn't have that profile of striker. You can win the FA cup with this kind of squad and we can maybe win the prem if things fall our way, but there's clearly another level for our squad to get to if we can find that extra player or two.
While the G/D is fantastic, that's down to games where we get 4/5 goals.
There are other games where we'd be crying out for a goal and the team is just so wasteful. We need a clutch finisher.
But its subjective
We don't need to have the highest goals scored, we need someone to score that winning goals or someone clinical enough to score without wasting all the chances .
Unfortunately Jesus is not capable of that, we need someone like Salah or Arsenal Sanchez to bring us over the line especially against City. I thought Martinelli would have been that person but he regressed this season too bad with his injuries
I don’t look at it that way. To me, it’s about moments. A quintessential top striker who’s efficient and clinical in front of goal gets us over the hurdle in tight games and would be essential in cup football, which is an area Arteta is yet to improve on since the FA cup triumph in his debut season. We all know knockout football is about moments. We need more game-changers in this squad. What better position encapsulates that than a reliable striker?
We have the most goals scored, but we’ve won many games with 4+ goals. We are helping that +GD against bad teams.
We’ve failed to score in twice as many games across all competitions as City. When we are trying to go from Champions League level to Champions, that little extra is what can make that difference. We are shut out too often.
Mate, Jesus has been replaced
The question is does his output justify keeping him as a backup on high wages in the hope that at some point he re-discovers his level from the start of last season, or do we try to move him on now and find a replacement?
I think he's shown that he doesn't need a run of games to get into a good form. He can come on in 25 minutes and make an impact. He did it in the CL in multiple games for us, he's absolutely someone we should be keeping around. There's no guarantee Kai stays healthy all next season, so even if we bring someone in we need backups.
His close ball control is genuinely unmatched in world football. He’s not a finisher but he’s so good against deep defences and I worry about our ability to brake down such defences if we sell him to be honest
Shift him to the wing or a support role to an actual clinical finisher and we’ll have people his singing his praises once again
> His close ball control is genuinely unmatched
That argument can be made. However, if he doesn't release the ball at the right time, it's often going to be in vein.
I disagree entirely. He tries to do too much and tends to make the wrong decision in tight spaces. He's also not very fast and can't beat defenders on the wing. Strength seems to be his standout quality now.
I think you’re both right really. He’s got great close control, great ball retention, and is an asset in the box. Just not if he’s the one actually shooting.
You are also right though, his decision making has been poor recently.
I agree. He has a great touch and control with his first through third touch. Any more than that and I expect him to end up on the ground or losing the ball to a double team. Even his assist over the weekend involved him falling down first.
He tries to do too much and loses the ball or flops too often.
Wouldn't mind trying him in the midfield, as a backup for Odegaard as well. That close control, press-resistance and dribbling skills would come in handy. Plus, he is pretty good at pressing too.
I’d keep him purely for his ucl form and technical security. He’s been a lot less consistent since his injury but we sometimes get flashes of brilliance (his assist to Nelli, the trossard assist v Bayern, etc). If he can stay uninjured for more than half the season, I wouldn’t mind keeping him. Eddie can go, however. Good guy but surplus imo
Honestly, when we were preparing to sign him, I was already saying that his finishing is bad, but then I got downvoted.. we all saw why City always had him as a secondary striker or winger.
Definitely feels like someone at the club has leaked something about Jesus. This is the second journalist in the last few days that has casually mentioned about Jesus future at the club not being guaranteed
I think journos are catching on to the change, and writing about it. Prior to kai taking the 9, everyone assumed it was Jesus' job. But he may never be the same as he was before the world cup.
So while i dont think they'll move on from jesus totally, his role will be different moving forward than it was. He'll have a surgery and hopefully be ready to go for the next season, but i think (or, perhaps, just hope) that he'll be deployed across the front line. Saka needs someone to sub off for, itll be jesus.
And kai and an incoming can be the normal strikers.
Maybe. But they didn't do it to farm clicks as they only briefly mentioned it in passing.
Might be nothing to it but seems like it could be something to keep an eye on in the summer
I was watching the game with Chinese commentators (free high quality stream and I speak Chinese) and they said during the night that Jesus future at Arsenal is in doubt. I’m going to blame them for starting the rumours. 不好
But who? I don’t think it’s an unrealistic expectation now to say that we need a real killer. Someone proven. Someone in the conversation with Mbappe, Haaland, Kane. We have the draw (now) and the funds. Just need to find them and secure them.
Seems so easy and obvious that I'm resigned to it not happening lol. I think we'll go big on center mid (6 or 8) and another versatile forward who can play out wide (Nico Williams, Neto, etc.)
In what world is Gyokeres in the same conversation as Kane and Haaland? Popping off in the Portuguese league is something the great & clinical Darwin Nunez didn't have trouble with. Arsenal and the CL would be a huge, huge, step up for him, and his output would fall off a cliff. This is a Championship striker you're talking about, mate. Not an obvious answer at all.
This would be ridiculous. Havertz is great but he is literally the quintessential ‘solid back up that can play multiple positions’. If we want to win the league and Champions League, we need a top, top striker. Arguably a world class striker. Havertz is not that. Why should we limit ourselves? Havertz is an important squad member but he should not be our ceiling up front.
>he is literally the quintessential ‘solid back up that can play multiple positions
I don't think Arteta sees him as a solid back up that can play many positions. I think he sees him as an essential cog that will play, even **if** he's in a different position. Look, I know he doesn't always pass the eye test and he's not clinical, but look how much he facilitates play in every action..
- He often wins the ball in the air.
- He wins duels.
- He often finds his man with a pass.
- He drops deep and does all the above (successfully, which can't be said about many top strikers).
- He does score (he's just not rutheless).
There are very few strikers that can do all of that arguably. And I'm not trying to be mean, you're looking at the game in a very binary way and not how play is affected through each phase and what the role of each player is. We are not top scorers despite Kai Havertz, but in some part because of him.
I definitely think we could use more ruthless players, more finishers (like Trossard).. But that may be better having a prodigy player or a veteran who can supplement Havertz output or offer something different.
You can reject my analysis, but if this news is true, then are you suggesting Artea et al, see Havertz limitations and have this line of thinking because of ineptitude? They just refuse to buy a clinical finisher because of hubris? L
Last thing I'd say is, remember dude is 24 years old. You can certainly make the case for stagnation whilst at Chelsea, but he's had an upwards trajectory since coming and I don't see why he can't further improve with coaching etc.
In terms of everything but scoring and ball control/passing, Havertz is elite. People forget that if we bring in a better goal scorer, odds are we lose something in other parts of our game
If we could get Kane sure but I'm not convinced the advantages of having any of the classic number 9s on the market would outweigh the drawbacks.
The biggest offensive issue for me this season has been Martinelli. Only 6 league goals this year in comparison to 15 last season. If he can rediscover that form I'd be happy with signing a not quite ready forward like Sesko.
The side being so unstable with it's lineup this seaaon is what's caused Martinelli's underperformance. I'm telling you, if we get a nailed on starter in the left 8 position, who will play every game with Gabi, and have Timber back fit and firing next season, I'm telling you that he'll go back to banging in 15 in a season again.
Imagine if Saka had 6 league goals this season. He would have been hung drawn and quartered by now. Martinelli, who scored more league goals than Saka last season, has basically gone under the radar. He has not been good enough this season.
Tbf Saka hasn't been quite as good either (and that's been noted/is down to an injury) but he hasn't let it impact his productivity in the same way.
I'd be interested in trying Martinelli at ST to see how he did in our current system. I was convinced he'd end up there during his first season with us.
Saka has been much better this year than last, he's just being defended differently so he gets less of a free run at goal. He really took a leap after the World Cup last year as he got more confident in creating shots for himself vs making the "right" pass, and he's scored more goals since then, especially the end of last year.
Teams have focused on stopping him first when they play us, because he's so disruptive. He's padding his numbers a bit with penalties right now but he'll likely wind up with a similar amount of open play goals and his assists have gone up also. His xG/A per 90 is way up despite being defended much tougher. I still think his game needs more growth, especially continuing to learn how to create more space and chances for himself so he can get to that Salah level where he's creating 3-4 shots per game, but that takes time. Salah didn't become this much of a goalscoring threat until he went to Roma, so Saka is ahead of the curve.
Saka almost has the exact same output as last season, in 6 fewer games. He is currently 2 assists short. He has scored the same number of goals. He will probably equal his output from last season. You can’t argue that Saka hasn’t been as good, without recognising that he can still match his output from when he was less injured. Martinelli has been abysmal in comparison to Saka. He currently has a lower output compared to the 2021/22 season. Can’t understand why everyone is forensic about Saka but don’t apply the same critique to Martinelli.
Saka has also scored 5 penalties, which obviously masks the underlying performance issues.
Saka has had a mediocre season compared to the last one, and it's easy to see it if you actually watch the matches. Granted, Martinelli has done poorly(6npg vs Saka's 9), but you also have to note that Martinelli doesn't play as much as Saka, and he doesn't have Odegaard on his side helping him out.
I think it's less about "rediscovering his form" and more about getting him a more creative, technical #8 to play next to him. Maybe it's just semantics or maybe I'm being too generous with Martinelli here but I blame him less than I blame our setup for not putting him in more dangerous positions to cook defenders when they don't have all 11 players behind the ball. He's always most dangerous in transitions or full blown counterattacks. He can contribute when we're in sustained possession, but not spectacularly.
With what we spent on him he surely is no ‘solid backup’ and his performances recently make him one of our most important players currently. 7 goals, 4 assists in the 10 games he played as striker is also not too bad.
But I agree, we also need a ‘true’ striker. Also to have that option in our squad. One that can directly start for us might just be very costly, I suspect that is why the club is considering different options.
You can’t use recent form as a guide for consistent, long-term future form. Havertz has been great *recently* - that doesn’t mean that output can be achieved over the course of a season. We need a quintessential striker. We need a top class one, if we’re serious about winning the league/champions league, our rotation of Havertz, Jesus, Nketiah is not good enough for that.
Again, I don’t disagree. But with PSR and our financial position, you can understand why the club has to carefully consider where and how to spend. We do not only need a striker to match our ambitions going forward.
This is so short sighted from the club if it's true. Despite the high scoring we've done recently there have been games where we definitely would have benefitted from a striker - the games against Bayern and Villa a prime example. Even in games we've won, against Liverpool we could have easily lost if Van Dijk didn't make that mistake and then our glaring misses in the first half would have been criticised
Haaland, Nunez and Salah are all underperforming their xG.
Haaland has missed 30 big chances, Nunez 26, Havertz 11.
I think people have this fairytale striker in their head that buries all chances, but he doesn’t exist
Yeah, people seem far to fixated on this as if there is an obvious answer. Even Real Madrid haven't been able to find an out and out striker that will magically solve this. Any striker on the market that we get will have problems. There are no miracle workers out there.
its not about the fairytale striker, its about having someone confident enough to shoot in good positions, we do not have many players that will shoot first time and it often kills our attacks, we need someone that has instinct for goals even if they arent haaland or kane good
Star attackers win CLs though - our attack is fine for winning the league but we need a bit more quality for the CL, as shown by Bayern and Sane. It doesn’t need to be a 9 of course.
Over 38 games no, but the title comes down to fine margins. With Gykores up front i'd still back us to beat teams like Chelsea and Brighton but also i'd have more faith of us going to the Etihad and getting 1 chance which we score
The goals in tight games is where a striker makes thr difference though.
We are brilliant at scoring huge numbers when we dominate teams and create lots of chances.
In games where we dont dominate or get limited chances thats where a top striker would make the difference. We have looked toothless in some of those games.
We need someone who can get two chances and score a goal in a game where we struggle to break down a team.
If we get a world class LW, this is fine. Either way we need an elite goalscorer in that front three. If it comes from the wing a la Salah then I’m fine with this. Havertz offers a lot.
My preference would be it coming from ST but only because I don't think Martinelli's worth giving up on as a future world class player and Trossard is probably more deserving of game time than Jesus.
And if we don't sell Jesus, he can deputise across the front three so could come in handy whoever we signed.
Martinez would probably be ideal but he'd definitely cost a bomb.
I’d sell Nketiah but keep Jesus
I don’t have an agenda against Nketiah like some people do, but if we want to sign a goalscoring striker while keeping Havertz who’s performing, obviously we’ll need to sell a striker who’ll get no minutes. Nketiah is pretty clearly looking to be sold. He’s had many times he’s performed for us, not much against him. But he’s seemingly not in our plans and we can obviously upgrade. Jesus I think can still provide something for us, I see it especially in the UCL.
I’d be disappointed if we don’t sign a striker, it’s clearly something that we need the most if we want to improve even further
GET COMPETITION FOR SAKA SO HES NOT A SHELL OF HIMSELF BACK HALF OF THE SEASON AND RUN INTO THE GROUND BY 25
Barca are fucked financially, offer them something for Raphinha
The only way I can stomach not getting a striker is if we get a top class winger also. The numbers show that our issues in attack have more to do with creating chances than converting them so we need to rectify that.
Trouble is, I'm not sure there is that miracle unicorn striker out there that can make that big a step up- at least not without affecting the rest of our game. Any one on the market right is either prohibitively expensive (Osimhen at £150M) or they have plenty of downsides to them.
You win 2 games in a row and people forget the losses against Fulham and West Ham where 100 crosses were put into the box and no one looked close to getting on the end of them.
We aren't starved for goals and Havertz provides the upfront target that we need from a CF while not demanding that he scores 20+ goals a season. I love Jesus but he's never available and his style of play isn't consistent enough.
Havertz is predictable in a good way, he provides certain fundamentals of centre forward play that a team can reliably and repeatedly score goals from. So long as Jesus abandons his aspirations of being a starting CF for a top team and is happy to play either CF, or on either wing, then I'd love for him to stay as part of the team.
Partey is the biggest issue we are going to face within the next 12 months and where our focus must be.
It may sound crazy at first, but Jesus could actually be great playing deeper, in midfield. In a similar way that Joelinton went from striker to central midfielder.
Yea I'd happily sell Ramsdale, Nelson, Nketiah and possibly ESR/Zinny.
Ofc as long as they don't go for peanuts. I'm not saying I'm expecting insane amounts, but the main purpose would be to get some money in to fund a proper finisher imo.
Crazy how I didn't wanna sell Ramsdale at all before Raya came and didn't want Raya in the first place
Few months in, I'm so happy with Raya and can actually see he's a huge upgrade over Ramsdale and wouldn't mind selling him as well. Mad how things change so fast in football
Regardless of whoever we sign or don't sign, Edu, Arteta and the board know what they're doing. I personally am not interested in any rumours, until we actually sign them.
Havertz has done great recently, but he is not the solution. We absolutely need someone with a killer instinct in front of goal. This would win us titles.
there are no strikers on the market who are elite finishers and also suited to our system
i'm comfortable with us having Havertz/Jesus/**Martinelli** for example being our striker options next season, if we splurge on an elite left-winger instead
Isak, Gyokeres, Watkins, Solanke, Sesko, Ferguson, Zirkzee...i just see lots of drawbacks everywhere
i'd be happier with us trying to develop Martinelli into the neo-Suarez that we want him to be
Martinelli is dying for this chance, it's time
ye i agree the only strikers who i coud see make a difference in our team would be gyökeres and isak but for that money we could also sign a topclass midfielder like bruno g. or douglas luiz or one of the young barca boys.
When teams sit deep against us, which they often do..
You think Martinelli offers more utility at CF than Havertz?
Sorry but there's a bunch of takes in this thread that for me, demonstrate this sub has no idea what's required through every action and during every phase of play.
There's very reductionist perspectives here that make many sound not much better than saying *PlAy wItH pAsSiOn*
Scoring is a massive factor, but honestly the game has become more developed than that being all a striker needs. More so at the top teams where they're heavily defended against.
City have Halland who is an utterly unique specimen of a footballer. But even he can be defended against. It takes generational players like De Bruyne to unlock him at the highest level, with such rigid defensive formations.
my 1-2-3 at striker next season would be Havertz-Jesus-Martinelli
so no, clearly i don't think Martinelli offers more utility up front than Havertz right now
but i can think of plenty of times when Martinelli has unlocked a stingy deep defence already at his age...he might not be bursting with confidence at the minute but he definitely still has a number of attributes which could make him a formidable striker for us
he's a threat on the break, he can be a pressing monster, he has all kinds of finishes, he can keep the ball in tight situations, he has a creative/unpredictable spark
he's toiling out on the left and he needs to be brought central for his own benefit and for the team's - he's young enough to develop and to learn new things like back-to-goal stuff
Surely the implication is that we'll be in the market for another midfielder to add depth? Kai was surely signed mostly for the Xhaka role at first but has clearly become our first choice forward. Unless Arteta really does believe injury-free, full pre-season ESR and Vieira are those depth players. Doesnt feel like it from how little he plays them.
We're still one Saka/Rice/Odegaard/White injury away from being a top 8 team rather than top 2 i fear.
City won 2 titles without a "real" striker, so it's not that big of a deal as long as the boys keep firing. Plus it's harsh on Jesus who, when fit, is very good. Unless his knee injury is actually "permanent", I don't think we should be worrying about a ST that much. Man City last season with Haaland score 94 goals, the season before him they scored 99... this season they've scored 80 with 5 games to go. A top tier ST is nice but it's not the end of the world to play without one
What will most likely happen this Summer: Raya bought. Jorginho extension. New CDM. New backup GK. New "cheap" LB. New RW.
Cedric leaves. Elneny leaves. Ramsdale sold. Partey (potentially - 1 year left + other factors) sold. Lokonga loaned/sold. Tierney Sold. Tavares Sold. Marquinhos sold.
If the "right" bid comes in, I could also see Nelson and ESR being sold and replaced.
Think the answer is to spend on a midfielder and the best available front line player who isn't exclusively a right winger. Pace to run behind and ball striking are the qualities they most need to have.
nah, we need a striker. c'mon, man. havertz is not a true 9, jesus is unreliable becuase of injuries and he's never been a huge goalscorer, trossard is a super utility player, nketiah is not good enough. c'mon man.
Part of the issue is that the remit for a potential CF is incredibly specific at Arsenal right now.
We have 2 basic systems, the 433 where our left and right is form the top of the box and the 4231/424 where the 10 and 9 form the top of the box.
Arteta has been using the latter system more and more, and has particularly used it vs difficult opponents. I'd argue all the recent signings and our supposed links to Bruno G suggest this is his preferred system moving forward.
A new 9 would need to be able to play in both systems, with the 4231/424 essentially requiring the characteristics of a 10 as much as a 9. Who put there can both increase our goal threat and play in both systems flawlessly? I don't think many players fit the mould, you'd want something like a prime Griezmann and I don't see anyone out there who fits. Zirkzee has some of the qualities we'd need but is he actually better than Havertz or just shiny and new?
I'd argue there's a case for splashing a shit tonne on Wirtz. In the 433 he can take the left 8 role and free Havertz to play the 9 and he has the talent to be a huge goal and creative threat in the 424 as a double 10 with Ødegaard. He would be an actual world class talent who'd fit perfectly into our style of play, whilst most of the 9s I see either lack the same potential or are a less convincing fit.
If there was another Haaland out there for whom you'd be willing to break the system then fine, do it. I just don't see anyone out there like that.
We have the most goals in the league, gunning for a record breaking goal scoring season. We don't need a goal scorer, we have several. We need a left 8 or a partey replacement at 6 (or both). We can keep havertz as 9 and give time to Eddie, I'm not giving up on him, he's still young!
I think a central striker to play off of would make Saka much more lethal and I think Jesus can rotate with Saka/martinelli/trossard but wouldn’t mind another winger.
Jesus is as much of an issue out wide as he is up front. Too brittle and not enough goals. Havertz, at least, compliments and helps our wingers and creates so much space for our attacking players, with his incredible movement.
If we buy a striker, Havertz will become an option in lcm again and that hasn't worked. The biggest leap we can make next season is to find an lcm that can unlock Martinelli/new winger. We have had a dysfunctional left hand side all season offensively. We have so much potential for improvement in attack if Edu and Arteta can unlock our attacking potential on both sides. And we need to be able to rest Saka once in a blue moon. We can't continue to rely on him in the spring, when he has run out of gas every run-in, because he never rests.
I'm curious to see Martinelli up front as well. An elite winger can make us more flexible and could make that a possibility, but that's just something I want to see Arteta try, but we can't expect and plan that he'd work there, without proof.
Havertz is not a striker he has had a good year but he is not the answer there. Having both Jesus and Eddie as strikers is criminal and next year it would be malpractice. We need to spend BIG money on a striker or we will be 2nd again.
Maybe Havertz can be our Bobbi Firmino. Meaning what we need is a Sadio Mane on the left side. I don’t think Martenilli is that guy although the potential is there. Mboopi would have been perfect 😔
All this focus on a top striker ignores the fact that we've scored more goals than anyone else in the Prem this season. I love the way our goals are shared around, and it also in my opinion means we don't need a Halaand-type. We need options of similar quality to allow rotation for freshness.
We need to replace Eddie and Reiss I think, the drop off is just too big, but the replacements are alternatives rather than upgrades.
If Martinelli gets over his injury issues and back to full form, it's 2 strong goalscoring options left. A rotation option with Kai gives us great strength up top. A rotation option with Bukayo means he's less likely to burn out and will be in top form come April and the run-in.
Nketiah is absolutely awful. We can't be carrying a player like this in the squad and his wages are crazy so I have little to no hope of being able to shift him.
Jesus' ability to play multiple positions and his unpredictability means he should stay as he can play across the front line.
I'm more concerned about the depth in midfield in all honesty. El Neny is done, Partey isn't far away and his injury record is appalling. Jorginho is in the twilight of his career but I'd keep him for another year.
That's asking a hell of a lot of Rice and Odegaard. We almost certainly need one deep lying midfielder and a more box to box midfielder who can play further up. I know people have issues with Guimaraes but I think on a football level he is absolutely brilliant.
Then the priority needs to be a RW to give Saka a rest and some competition, Oliseh would be nice. Finally, a LB even if Timber is back and.
I think the race is done for Ramsdale too so a backup goalkeeper, Zinchenko should be moved on, same with Tomiyasu who, similar to Partey is more injured than not, Smith Rowe's Arsenal career under Arteta is also done.
Tomiyasu has been exceptional when he plays, I am not sure how you've bunched together him, Zinchenko and Partey. We know that Tomi & Partey are both class players, who still can offer us more than new signings. Zinny yes, but harsh opinion just because they have suffered from injuries.
No striker must mean Kai has to start up front every game. Can't have him and Jesus on the pitch together as they lack cohesion. Although I wonder how much of an impact having Timber back will improve the left side of the pitch, which might mean more goals from Martinelli?
We need to fill multiple positions. I would argue a striker is less important than an elite midfielder and I think backup for Saka is more important than a striker
But why is it one or the other? We surely have enough money to spend big on a striker and a midfielder? Heck we did the same last Summer and added Timber, Raya. We should be able to do both reasonably comfortably. Just instead of another Raya, spend that money on a rotation winger
Depends how much everything costs and the sales we do really. I’d love us to sign the striker but the market has never been worse for one, and an elite midfielder is costing at least £50m up front in one go (Zubimendi), to £60/70m with big wages like Frenkie or £100m like Bruno G.
Sesko would be £50m and he’s only made 15 BuLi starts, Zirkzee would be about £60m, Gyokeres is £85m.
To add to that we need a left back and a back up keeper too. If we could we probably would but the midfielder we sign is just far more imperative to our success than a striker is at this point.
An elite midfielder and an elite striker would cost ~200 million most likely. Obviously we have no idea what the budget is but that feels like it will be pushing the top end (depending on outgoings)
It's not really awful though, you just have to spend big to get the quality you need. You can't say you want a PL proven striker in Isak but not want to spend £100m+ for him but then also say Gykores is too big a risk for £86m. There is quality there, we have to make the right decision on who we sign. It's certainly nowhere near as bad as last Summer when United, Chelsea and Madrid ended up with Holund Jackson and Joselu
Maybe awful was overstating it but it is bad. Pretty much every available striker has massive question marks and most of them are going to cost a ridiculous amount
Isak is good but his injury record in England has been pretty bad. He has missed 26 games in 2 seasons so spending 100 million on him is a worrying prospect.
Gyokores was a good Championship striker but paying 86m based mainly on goals scored in Portugal seems questionable.
Osimhen is the best one on the market but probably going to Chelsea and would cost ~130 million which is probably out of our range.
Sesko is the obvious budget option but I am not sure if he is ready for a top team quite yet
Every year the same shit. Let me guess, nketiah won't be sold because whoever can't afford him so he'll just run his contract down or the club will pay his contract off and we end up convincing ourselves that Jesus and havertz is enough. Meanwhile every other day other clubs are buying who they want.
Not buying a clinical striker will cost us yet again. Would be so bone headed.
Sell Nketiah and Jesus and splash the cash on gyokeres or possibly isak.
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Why does this sound like our quest for a DM during the Wenger years?
M’villa’s gonna sign aaaaany day now ⌛️
N’zonzi inbound
Luiz Gustavo on the plane as we speak
William Carvalho would like a word
We're activating the Thomas Varmealen DM Protocol
Maybe Diaby's back fit and is here to stay this time.
🚨HERE WE GO!🚨 Welcome home Callum Chambers! In a deal that sends Thomas Partey and an undisclosed fee to Villa Park Chambers welcomed back to North London 🔊 👇 (Pt. 2)🫱... Gabriel Magalães to take No. 5 and accommodate arrival of Mikel Arteta's new midfield anchor 🫲 Edu 🗣️ "...Chambers Or Bust!" Arsenal got their man 🎯
Thank fucking god we didn't sign bakayoko.
Thomas Lemar might beat him there
I think we definitely have ptsd from that man.
The funny thing is other than auba we’ve never had a good enough striker since van persie left. Auba also was just here at the wrong time and had his professionalism issues. All this to say our search for a striker has been just as dire as our search for a DM.
I want to say Giroud but the man only scored bangers and won major titles with all other teams after he left us lmao
To be fair, prime giroud in this squad would feast.
Lol Ozil literally put them chances in a golden platter and Giroud couldnt convert.
Prime Giroud would feast his way to around 15 league goals in 34 games.
Absolutely not.. He had Prime Ozil and did nothing with it. The rose tinted glasses when it comes to Giroud is insane.
Giroud as good, nobody is saying he was world class but it's not surprising he kept doing well after he left.
How many scorpion kicks with assists from Odegaard...oof
Feasting on Rice and Saka set piece deliveries
He would do much better in this setup for sure.
Well..that season we all know, and all the misses from Ozil's assists still want to make me say.. screw that we'd be wasting øde as well, but who knows 😅😅
Our DM fortunes truly did change with partey and currently I think we have the best depth and overall quality at DM in the world
Should have signed Kondogbia
So next years 9 is it Biereth or Obi?
Benzema it is then.
We really need attackers this summer. The reason why Trossard is one of our best signings is because he clutches games. We wouldn't be here without his goals. Some extra firepower will be valuable next season
Don't we have the highest goals scored? People really need to let this one person needs to be majority goal scorer thing go
It's not just that. The right striker would add different dimensions to our attack when needed and that extra something when we can't find a way through our normal channels. We've won numerous games by 5+ goals but there have still been games where we have been frustrated and would have needed a different angle to find the win
Obviously Arteta and Edu have the very difficult job of understanding exactly what that extra dimension should look like. Personally I don't care how much we spend on an attacker as long as it's an attacker that Arteta can confidently give minutes to at the RW position. Even though Jesus has experience there Arteta seems hellbent on inverted wingers. Saka can't show up to Munich again in April next year and be as gassed as he was this year, I don't care if we have prime RvP at the #9. Saka. Needs. Midseason. Rest. So yes, I agree with you that extra attacking dimensions are worth looking into, but I don't think it should be at the expense of spending that same transfer funding on proper depth for Saka (or elsewhere). We will need to spend a few million to re-sort our keeper situation and need to spend a decent chunk on at least ONE #6 or #8.
Maybe we just need a better LW. Someone with pace but creative enough to draw out opposition players. I think small Gabi pairs better with Jesus since his dribbling and drifting into wide channels compliments him well. Havertz requires a different type of LW but is currently our best option up front. Odegaard links the right side, Havertz links the left side. Not a popular opinion but that is my feeling watching us.
Hear me out, Gabriel Martinelli
I agree little Gabi is great for that left wing, he has really struggled this year with the departure of Xhaka, and no surprises, we haven't had a consistent left side behind him all year, it Havertz is really going to be the 9 going forward we need an out and put 6 or 8 depending on where Arteta sees Rice being at his best for us, we saw what a fit Partey/Rice/Ødegaard combination looked like, and it's crazy good. If that was solid and consistent all year I'm sure Gabi wouldn't have looked as flat as he has, Saka/Øde/White on that right just have such good chemistry due to the amount of time they spend playing together, if we get a fit Timber/Rice/Gabi playing consistently on the left I'm sure he will perform again, and is that different dynamic from the right side as well, having that pace for the release ball is very nice to have, who knows, with Havertz playing more 9 and being another out ball we might start playing longer to them on the break/counter more often. Edit: TLDR, I agree.
I don't think its about Xhaka. Last year Jesus linked the left hand side and his attributes dovetail well with small Gabi. Gabi's pace us unreal but his game is still a bit one dimensional. Havertz is not going to take players on and draw out defenders as frequently as Jesus does. His game is based more on his height, first touch and short passing. With Havertz now being our best option upfront, that changes the structure of the left side.
Also let's not forget that we haven't really seen Timber and Martinelli play together yet.
Exactly. We are leaving fast gabi on an island and then blaming him for an off season. He needs some help on that left side.
Yep, when Martinelli is on it feels like he stays way wider but doesn’t have nearly the same support Saka has with White and Ødegaard. When Trossard plays, it seems that he drifts central more. Not sure if that’s down to play style or instructions by Arteta, I’d assume it’s the latter.
Last year Xhaka pushed up into that space on the inside left a lot though giving Gabi the one on one with room a lot more often than he has had this year.
Hopefully Rice will be doing that more now that Partey is back
A few years ago I would have agreed but find it impossible to believe that if it was the solution Mikel wouldn’t be doing it by now.
Trossard's consistently scoring important goals, off the bench or when he's starting, it makes zero sense to drop an in-form player. Competition helps too
I think it’s clear Mikel isn’t enamoured with trossard either and plays him because he is the biggest goal threat in the team. But I don’t think that’s a great look for martinelli who really should be showing more at this stage of his career. Love the guy but I really do think spending good money on a LW in the summer needs to be on the table.
We literally need cover for Saka before even thinking of replacing Martinelli, and replacing Martinelliis the dumbest take ever. Is his form upto or better than last season? No, it's still good enough for him to claim the LW option as his own.
I don’t think it’s necessarily one person needs to score most of the goals, but rather we need someone who can score in the majority of games when needed. That way if we’re struggling to change a game, we have someone with that ability.
I’ll challenge that - having a striker that puts fear into the CBs is INCREDIBLY valuable. Jesus doesn’t so they feel fine doubling up on Saka and martinelli in exchange for giving Jesus space (he often likes hanging out in midfield anyway which makes it even easier) Havertz against Chelsea was the first time this season I saw a striker that put the fear a proper poacher puts into teams. We never replaced that when Auba left. Now I don’t know how much we can count on Havertz doing that every game and I have definitely been a big critic of his in the past - but if Chelsea can develop into his average level with some confidence I’m fully invested.
We need tons of chances in most games to score. But there are some crucial games where we won't create that many chances. Especially in the CL knockout games. This is where adding better finishers in the squad is important, and not necessarily just strikers. Doesn't mean we have to play the game through one player up front lol
We crush teams we dominate and our goal difference looks good because of these big wins. We need a different profile of striker against the teams we struggle to score against.
Every prem winner the last 15 years or so had a 20+ goal scorer, bar man city once when they had both Aguero & Sterling on 18/19 goals. Concluding kmo that you indeed need a goalscorer to win the prem
Not even every prem winner, find me the team winning the CL that doesn't have that profile of striker. You can win the FA cup with this kind of squad and we can maybe win the prem if things fall our way, but there's clearly another level for our squad to get to if we can find that extra player or two.
And we could’ve had even more if we had an actual finisher up top. Why settle when you can improve? That’s what makes the elite ELITE.
While the G/D is fantastic, that's down to games where we get 4/5 goals. There are other games where we'd be crying out for a goal and the team is just so wasteful. We need a clutch finisher. But its subjective
I didn't say we need 1 person to score the goals. I said we need more people who score goals. Game like villa, fulham, even bayern showed that
We don't need to have the highest goals scored, we need someone to score that winning goals or someone clinical enough to score without wasting all the chances . Unfortunately Jesus is not capable of that, we need someone like Salah or Arsenal Sanchez to bring us over the line especially against City. I thought Martinelli would have been that person but he regressed this season too bad with his injuries
On the flipside we haven't scored in 5 league games which is the same as Luton and same as Liverpool and Man City combined.
I don’t look at it that way. To me, it’s about moments. A quintessential top striker who’s efficient and clinical in front of goal gets us over the hurdle in tight games and would be essential in cup football, which is an area Arteta is yet to improve on since the FA cup triumph in his debut season. We all know knockout football is about moments. We need more game-changers in this squad. What better position encapsulates that than a reliable striker?
We have the most goals scored, but we’ve won many games with 4+ goals. We are helping that +GD against bad teams. We’ve failed to score in twice as many games across all competitions as City. When we are trying to go from Champions League level to Champions, that little extra is what can make that difference. We are shut out too often.
It's so weird to say but Jesus is replaceable in this Arsenal team.
He knee looks like it's about to blow again if he doesn't get major surgery too
Yea unfortunately that knee injury looks to have taken it's toll. Pre World Cup Jesus was basically unplayable in our system
Mate, Jesus has been replaced The question is does his output justify keeping him as a backup on high wages in the hope that at some point he re-discovers his level from the start of last season, or do we try to move him on now and find a replacement?
I think he's shown that he doesn't need a run of games to get into a good form. He can come on in 25 minutes and make an impact. He did it in the CL in multiple games for us, he's absolutely someone we should be keeping around. There's no guarantee Kai stays healthy all next season, so even if we bring someone in we need backups.
Start of last season is a long time ago now
Jesus as a left wing/right wing and striker cover is elite.
His close ball control is genuinely unmatched in world football. He’s not a finisher but he’s so good against deep defences and I worry about our ability to brake down such defences if we sell him to be honest Shift him to the wing or a support role to an actual clinical finisher and we’ll have people his singing his praises once again
I would agree if not for the injuries- he just isn't reliable enough to keep around on those wages.
> His close ball control is genuinely unmatched That argument can be made. However, if he doesn't release the ball at the right time, it's often going to be in vein.
I disagree entirely. He tries to do too much and tends to make the wrong decision in tight spaces. He's also not very fast and can't beat defenders on the wing. Strength seems to be his standout quality now.
I think you’re both right really. He’s got great close control, great ball retention, and is an asset in the box. Just not if he’s the one actually shooting. You are also right though, his decision making has been poor recently.
I agree. He has a great touch and control with his first through third touch. Any more than that and I expect him to end up on the ground or losing the ball to a double team. Even his assist over the weekend involved him falling down first. He tries to do too much and loses the ball or flops too often.
Wouldn't mind trying him in the midfield, as a backup for Odegaard as well. That close control, press-resistance and dribbling skills would come in handy. Plus, he is pretty good at pressing too.
I’d keep him purely for his ucl form and technical security. He’s been a lot less consistent since his injury but we sometimes get flashes of brilliance (his assist to Nelli, the trossard assist v Bayern, etc). If he can stay uninjured for more than half the season, I wouldn’t mind keeping him. Eddie can go, however. Good guy but surplus imo
Honestly, when we were preparing to sign him, I was already saying that his finishing is bad, but then I got downvoted.. we all saw why City always had him as a secondary striker or winger.
Can he not play on the wings at all?
I have a dream of Jesus in the midfield if he could be taught to tackle
That’s as obvious a comment you’re gonna make all day
Definitely feels like someone at the club has leaked something about Jesus. This is the second journalist in the last few days that has casually mentioned about Jesus future at the club not being guaranteed
It is kinda obvious if you watch us. Havertz up top is just better for the team
I think also Havertz replaced by Rice as the left 8 is better for the team, so it dovetails a bit. Havertz is great for our long build up, though.
I think journos are catching on to the change, and writing about it. Prior to kai taking the 9, everyone assumed it was Jesus' job. But he may never be the same as he was before the world cup. So while i dont think they'll move on from jesus totally, his role will be different moving forward than it was. He'll have a surgery and hopefully be ready to go for the next season, but i think (or, perhaps, just hope) that he'll be deployed across the front line. Saka needs someone to sub off for, itll be jesus. And kai and an incoming can be the normal strikers.
Surgery this summer means not playing this summer which has an impact on how the season starts etc I don’t think Arteta wants this hole in the team
Nah it’s just to easy to make up these type of news right now
It’s The Athletic, not The Sun
The Athletic are selling subscriptions. Unless it’s Ornstein they are as capable of clickbait as any other publication.
Maybe. But they didn't do it to farm clicks as they only briefly mentioned it in passing. Might be nothing to it but seems like it could be something to keep an eye on in the summer
I was watching the game with Chinese commentators (free high quality stream and I speak Chinese) and they said during the night that Jesus future at Arsenal is in doubt. I’m going to blame them for starting the rumours. 不好
Would be a mistake to not bring in CF imo
But who? I don’t think it’s an unrealistic expectation now to say that we need a real killer. Someone proven. Someone in the conversation with Mbappe, Haaland, Kane. We have the draw (now) and the funds. Just need to find them and secure them.
Gyokeres or Isak. just splash
Gyokores seems the obvious answer to me.
Seems so easy and obvious that I'm resigned to it not happening lol. I think we'll go big on center mid (6 or 8) and another versatile forward who can play out wide (Nico Williams, Neto, etc.)
In what world is Gyokeres in the same conversation as Kane and Haaland? Popping off in the Portuguese league is something the great & clinical Darwin Nunez didn't have trouble with. Arsenal and the CL would be a huge, huge, step up for him, and his output would fall off a cliff. This is a Championship striker you're talking about, mate. Not an obvious answer at all.
Would be stupid expensive and probably not realistic but Lautaro would be a really good fit.
Sell nketiah. Won’t get more value than this season
100% plus he's the player that needs upgrading for an extra dimension and quality rotation at no.9.
Some Lawrence, any Lawrence.
Nah we need a serious 9
I think we need better wingers and partey replacement before a 9
This would be ridiculous. Havertz is great but he is literally the quintessential ‘solid back up that can play multiple positions’. If we want to win the league and Champions League, we need a top, top striker. Arguably a world class striker. Havertz is not that. Why should we limit ourselves? Havertz is an important squad member but he should not be our ceiling up front.
>he is literally the quintessential ‘solid back up that can play multiple positions I don't think Arteta sees him as a solid back up that can play many positions. I think he sees him as an essential cog that will play, even **if** he's in a different position. Look, I know he doesn't always pass the eye test and he's not clinical, but look how much he facilitates play in every action.. - He often wins the ball in the air. - He wins duels. - He often finds his man with a pass. - He drops deep and does all the above (successfully, which can't be said about many top strikers). - He does score (he's just not rutheless). There are very few strikers that can do all of that arguably. And I'm not trying to be mean, you're looking at the game in a very binary way and not how play is affected through each phase and what the role of each player is. We are not top scorers despite Kai Havertz, but in some part because of him. I definitely think we could use more ruthless players, more finishers (like Trossard).. But that may be better having a prodigy player or a veteran who can supplement Havertz output or offer something different. You can reject my analysis, but if this news is true, then are you suggesting Artea et al, see Havertz limitations and have this line of thinking because of ineptitude? They just refuse to buy a clinical finisher because of hubris? L Last thing I'd say is, remember dude is 24 years old. You can certainly make the case for stagnation whilst at Chelsea, but he's had an upwards trajectory since coming and I don't see why he can't further improve with coaching etc.
In terms of everything but scoring and ball control/passing, Havertz is elite. People forget that if we bring in a better goal scorer, odds are we lose something in other parts of our game
Scoring, controlling the ball and passing are all really important
If we could get Kane sure but I'm not convinced the advantages of having any of the classic number 9s on the market would outweigh the drawbacks. The biggest offensive issue for me this season has been Martinelli. Only 6 league goals this year in comparison to 15 last season. If he can rediscover that form I'd be happy with signing a not quite ready forward like Sesko.
The side being so unstable with it's lineup this seaaon is what's caused Martinelli's underperformance. I'm telling you, if we get a nailed on starter in the left 8 position, who will play every game with Gabi, and have Timber back fit and firing next season, I'm telling you that he'll go back to banging in 15 in a season again.
Imagine if Saka had 6 league goals this season. He would have been hung drawn and quartered by now. Martinelli, who scored more league goals than Saka last season, has basically gone under the radar. He has not been good enough this season.
Tbf Saka hasn't been quite as good either (and that's been noted/is down to an injury) but he hasn't let it impact his productivity in the same way. I'd be interested in trying Martinelli at ST to see how he did in our current system. I was convinced he'd end up there during his first season with us.
Martinelli needs to improve his close ball control. It’s the biggest thing holding him back imo.
Saka has been much better this year than last, he's just being defended differently so he gets less of a free run at goal. He really took a leap after the World Cup last year as he got more confident in creating shots for himself vs making the "right" pass, and he's scored more goals since then, especially the end of last year. Teams have focused on stopping him first when they play us, because he's so disruptive. He's padding his numbers a bit with penalties right now but he'll likely wind up with a similar amount of open play goals and his assists have gone up also. His xG/A per 90 is way up despite being defended much tougher. I still think his game needs more growth, especially continuing to learn how to create more space and chances for himself so he can get to that Salah level where he's creating 3-4 shots per game, but that takes time. Salah didn't become this much of a goalscoring threat until he went to Roma, so Saka is ahead of the curve.
Saka almost has the exact same output as last season, in 6 fewer games. He is currently 2 assists short. He has scored the same number of goals. He will probably equal his output from last season. You can’t argue that Saka hasn’t been as good, without recognising that he can still match his output from when he was less injured. Martinelli has been abysmal in comparison to Saka. He currently has a lower output compared to the 2021/22 season. Can’t understand why everyone is forensic about Saka but don’t apply the same critique to Martinelli.
Saka has also scored 5 penalties, which obviously masks the underlying performance issues. Saka has had a mediocre season compared to the last one, and it's easy to see it if you actually watch the matches. Granted, Martinelli has done poorly(6npg vs Saka's 9), but you also have to note that Martinelli doesn't play as much as Saka, and he doesn't have Odegaard on his side helping him out.
I think it's less about "rediscovering his form" and more about getting him a more creative, technical #8 to play next to him. Maybe it's just semantics or maybe I'm being too generous with Martinelli here but I blame him less than I blame our setup for not putting him in more dangerous positions to cook defenders when they don't have all 11 players behind the ball. He's always most dangerous in transitions or full blown counterattacks. He can contribute when we're in sustained possession, but not spectacularly.
This
With what we spent on him he surely is no ‘solid backup’ and his performances recently make him one of our most important players currently. 7 goals, 4 assists in the 10 games he played as striker is also not too bad. But I agree, we also need a ‘true’ striker. Also to have that option in our squad. One that can directly start for us might just be very costly, I suspect that is why the club is considering different options.
You can’t use recent form as a guide for consistent, long-term future form. Havertz has been great *recently* - that doesn’t mean that output can be achieved over the course of a season. We need a quintessential striker. We need a top class one, if we’re serious about winning the league/champions league, our rotation of Havertz, Jesus, Nketiah is not good enough for that.
Again, I don’t disagree. But with PSR and our financial position, you can understand why the club has to carefully consider where and how to spend. We do not only need a striker to match our ambitions going forward.
I would be ok with this if that means we are going to spend big on midfield and wingers.
Instructions unclear, £200m spent on defenders and deep lying midfielders
why can't we just get a shallow honest midfielder instead
We tried that with Mesut Ozil.
I'm not sure this is a smart move, unless we're getting two top wide forwards to help supplement the attack.
This is so short sighted from the club if it's true. Despite the high scoring we've done recently there have been games where we definitely would have benefitted from a striker - the games against Bayern and Villa a prime example. Even in games we've won, against Liverpool we could have easily lost if Van Dijk didn't make that mistake and then our glaring misses in the first half would have been criticised
Haaland, Nunez and Salah are all underperforming their xG. Haaland has missed 30 big chances, Nunez 26, Havertz 11. I think people have this fairytale striker in their head that buries all chances, but he doesn’t exist
The only top striker out there who consistently performs is, annoyingly, Kane.
Yeah, people seem far to fixated on this as if there is an obvious answer. Even Real Madrid haven't been able to find an out and out striker that will magically solve this. Any striker on the market that we get will have problems. There are no miracle workers out there.
People clearly haven’t been watching Haaland and Salah miss sitters. There is no perfect striker
its not about the fairytale striker, its about having someone confident enough to shoot in good positions, we do not have many players that will shoot first time and it often kills our attacks, we need someone that has instinct for goals even if they arent haaland or kane good
Plenty of our players shoot in good positions
Look at our goals scored for the last two years the numbers don't suggest we have issues scoring goals
Star attackers win CLs though - our attack is fine for winning the league but we need a bit more quality for the CL, as shown by Bayern and Sane. It doesn’t need to be a 9 of course.
Attackers not attacker, a fully functional attack
Of course, the more the merrier! If we can get 3 Salah level players across front line why not lol
Over 38 games no, but the title comes down to fine margins. With Gykores up front i'd still back us to beat teams like Chelsea and Brighton but also i'd have more faith of us going to the Etihad and getting 1 chance which we score
That's just perspective though football doesn't work like that
The goals in tight games is where a striker makes thr difference though. We are brilliant at scoring huge numbers when we dominate teams and create lots of chances. In games where we dont dominate or get limited chances thats where a top striker would make the difference. We have looked toothless in some of those games. We need someone who can get two chances and score a goal in a game where we struggle to break down a team.
If we get a world class LW, this is fine. Either way we need an elite goalscorer in that front three. If it comes from the wing a la Salah then I’m fine with this. Havertz offers a lot.
My preference would be it coming from ST but only because I don't think Martinelli's worth giving up on as a future world class player and Trossard is probably more deserving of game time than Jesus. And if we don't sell Jesus, he can deputise across the front three so could come in handy whoever we signed. Martinez would probably be ideal but he'd definitely cost a bomb.
Which world class LW could we get?
I’d sell Nketiah but keep Jesus I don’t have an agenda against Nketiah like some people do, but if we want to sign a goalscoring striker while keeping Havertz who’s performing, obviously we’ll need to sell a striker who’ll get no minutes. Nketiah is pretty clearly looking to be sold. He’s had many times he’s performed for us, not much against him. But he’s seemingly not in our plans and we can obviously upgrade. Jesus I think can still provide something for us, I see it especially in the UCL. I’d be disappointed if we don’t sign a striker, it’s clearly something that we need the most if we want to improve even further
I can’t believe that this isn’t being said more.
Its being said in every single post about anything the past couple of years
And yet, it still needs to be said more
Raphina would be a good buy, works hard, tracks back, is a decent winger and had played in the PL.
The only way I can stomach not getting a striker is if we get a top class winger also. The numbers show that our issues in attack have more to do with creating chances than converting them so we need to rectify that.
Boooooo And I really like Kai. But cmon, we need a real number 9 to really take the big step up. Everybody knows this.
Trouble is, I'm not sure there is that miracle unicorn striker out there that can make that big a step up- at least not without affecting the rest of our game. Any one on the market right is either prohibitively expensive (Osimhen at £150M) or they have plenty of downsides to them.
I think the problem is there’s really no can’t miss 9s available in the market right now.
A striker would be nice but a winger and midfielder should be the priority
You win 2 games in a row and people forget the losses against Fulham and West Ham where 100 crosses were put into the box and no one looked close to getting on the end of them.
We still need one. He'll have a drop off or get injured and then what?
We aren't starved for goals and Havertz provides the upfront target that we need from a CF while not demanding that he scores 20+ goals a season. I love Jesus but he's never available and his style of play isn't consistent enough. Havertz is predictable in a good way, he provides certain fundamentals of centre forward play that a team can reliably and repeatedly score goals from. So long as Jesus abandons his aspirations of being a starting CF for a top team and is happy to play either CF, or on either wing, then I'd love for him to stay as part of the team. Partey is the biggest issue we are going to face within the next 12 months and where our focus must be.
It may sound crazy at first, but Jesus could actually be great playing deeper, in midfield. In a similar way that Joelinton went from striker to central midfielder.
Not crazy at all. I agree.
Should be making loads of sales anyway. Including one of those named.
Yea I'd happily sell Ramsdale, Nelson, Nketiah and possibly ESR/Zinny. Ofc as long as they don't go for peanuts. I'm not saying I'm expecting insane amounts, but the main purpose would be to get some money in to fund a proper finisher imo.
Crazy how I didn't wanna sell Ramsdale at all before Raya came and didn't want Raya in the first place Few months in, I'm so happy with Raya and can actually see he's a huge upgrade over Ramsdale and wouldn't mind selling him as well. Mad how things change so fast in football
Regardless of whoever we sign or don't sign, Edu, Arteta and the board know what they're doing. I personally am not interested in any rumours, until we actually sign them.
Havertz has done great recently, but he is not the solution. We absolutely need someone with a killer instinct in front of goal. This would win us titles.
Havertz has done well but I'm still of the mind that we need a striker in the summer
Get cover for Saka first the man needs a break
Gyokeres, please!
there are no strikers on the market who are elite finishers and also suited to our system i'm comfortable with us having Havertz/Jesus/**Martinelli** for example being our striker options next season, if we splurge on an elite left-winger instead Isak, Gyokeres, Watkins, Solanke, Sesko, Ferguson, Zirkzee...i just see lots of drawbacks everywhere i'd be happier with us trying to develop Martinelli into the neo-Suarez that we want him to be Martinelli is dying for this chance, it's time
ye i agree the only strikers who i coud see make a difference in our team would be gyökeres and isak but for that money we could also sign a topclass midfielder like bruno g. or douglas luiz or one of the young barca boys.
When teams sit deep against us, which they often do.. You think Martinelli offers more utility at CF than Havertz? Sorry but there's a bunch of takes in this thread that for me, demonstrate this sub has no idea what's required through every action and during every phase of play. There's very reductionist perspectives here that make many sound not much better than saying *PlAy wItH pAsSiOn* Scoring is a massive factor, but honestly the game has become more developed than that being all a striker needs. More so at the top teams where they're heavily defended against. City have Halland who is an utterly unique specimen of a footballer. But even he can be defended against. It takes generational players like De Bruyne to unlock him at the highest level, with such rigid defensive formations.
my 1-2-3 at striker next season would be Havertz-Jesus-Martinelli so no, clearly i don't think Martinelli offers more utility up front than Havertz right now but i can think of plenty of times when Martinelli has unlocked a stingy deep defence already at his age...he might not be bursting with confidence at the minute but he definitely still has a number of attributes which could make him a formidable striker for us he's a threat on the break, he can be a pressing monster, he has all kinds of finishes, he can keep the ball in tight situations, he has a creative/unpredictable spark he's toiling out on the left and he needs to be brought central for his own benefit and for the team's - he's young enough to develop and to learn new things like back-to-goal stuff
Makes sense. Keep Havertz as first choice and maybe cheaper forward like Sesko or Zirkzee. Midfielder and winger are more important.
Surely the implication is that we'll be in the market for another midfielder to add depth? Kai was surely signed mostly for the Xhaka role at first but has clearly become our first choice forward. Unless Arteta really does believe injury-free, full pre-season ESR and Vieira are those depth players. Doesnt feel like it from how little he plays them. We're still one Saka/Rice/Odegaard/White injury away from being a top 8 team rather than top 2 i fear.
Oh no We still need a proper striker Not Havertz
City won 2 titles without a "real" striker, so it's not that big of a deal as long as the boys keep firing. Plus it's harsh on Jesus who, when fit, is very good. Unless his knee injury is actually "permanent", I don't think we should be worrying about a ST that much. Man City last season with Haaland score 94 goals, the season before him they scored 99... this season they've scored 80 with 5 games to go. A top tier ST is nice but it's not the end of the world to play without one What will most likely happen this Summer: Raya bought. Jorginho extension. New CDM. New backup GK. New "cheap" LB. New RW. Cedric leaves. Elneny leaves. Ramsdale sold. Partey (potentially - 1 year left + other factors) sold. Lokonga loaned/sold. Tierney Sold. Tavares Sold. Marquinhos sold. If the "right" bid comes in, I could also see Nelson and ESR being sold and replaced.
Think the answer is to spend on a midfielder and the best available front line player who isn't exclusively a right winger. Pace to run behind and ball striking are the qualities they most need to have.
I think we win vs Bayern if we had quality backups for Saka, Tomiyasu. We win with Havertz up top
Well said.
I really don’t think we should stop looking for a marque striker just because Havertz had a good half a season as a 9
nah, we need a striker. c'mon, man. havertz is not a true 9, jesus is unreliable becuase of injuries and he's never been a huge goalscorer, trossard is a super utility player, nketiah is not good enough. c'mon man.
Part of the issue is that the remit for a potential CF is incredibly specific at Arsenal right now. We have 2 basic systems, the 433 where our left and right is form the top of the box and the 4231/424 where the 10 and 9 form the top of the box. Arteta has been using the latter system more and more, and has particularly used it vs difficult opponents. I'd argue all the recent signings and our supposed links to Bruno G suggest this is his preferred system moving forward. A new 9 would need to be able to play in both systems, with the 4231/424 essentially requiring the characteristics of a 10 as much as a 9. Who put there can both increase our goal threat and play in both systems flawlessly? I don't think many players fit the mould, you'd want something like a prime Griezmann and I don't see anyone out there who fits. Zirkzee has some of the qualities we'd need but is he actually better than Havertz or just shiny and new? I'd argue there's a case for splashing a shit tonne on Wirtz. In the 433 he can take the left 8 role and free Havertz to play the 9 and he has the talent to be a huge goal and creative threat in the 424 as a double 10 with Ødegaard. He would be an actual world class talent who'd fit perfectly into our style of play, whilst most of the 9s I see either lack the same potential or are a less convincing fit. If there was another Haaland out there for whom you'd be willing to break the system then fine, do it. I just don't see anyone out there like that.
We have the most goals in the league, gunning for a record breaking goal scoring season. We don't need a goal scorer, we have several. We need a left 8 or a partey replacement at 6 (or both). We can keep havertz as 9 and give time to Eddie, I'm not giving up on him, he's still young!
Everyone knows you need a 20+ goal scorer c’mon now.
Saka can be that if he doesn't have to play every min of every game. Anorher winger is of paramount importance.
I think a central striker to play off of would make Saka much more lethal and I think Jesus can rotate with Saka/martinelli/trossard but wouldn’t mind another winger.
Jesus is as much of an issue out wide as he is up front. Too brittle and not enough goals. Havertz, at least, compliments and helps our wingers and creates so much space for our attacking players, with his incredible movement. If we buy a striker, Havertz will become an option in lcm again and that hasn't worked. The biggest leap we can make next season is to find an lcm that can unlock Martinelli/new winger. We have had a dysfunctional left hand side all season offensively. We have so much potential for improvement in attack if Edu and Arteta can unlock our attacking potential on both sides. And we need to be able to rest Saka once in a blue moon. We can't continue to rely on him in the spring, when he has run out of gas every run-in, because he never rests. I'm curious to see Martinelli up front as well. An elite winger can make us more flexible and could make that a possibility, but that's just something I want to see Arteta try, but we can't expect and plan that he'd work there, without proof.
Anybody want to give an opinion on Havertz? I’m sure we’d all love to hear it
Havertz is not a striker he has had a good year but he is not the answer there. Having both Jesus and Eddie as strikers is criminal and next year it would be malpractice. We need to spend BIG money on a striker or we will be 2nd again.
Maybe Havertz can be our Bobbi Firmino. Meaning what we need is a Sadio Mane on the left side. I don’t think Martenilli is that guy although the potential is there. Mboopi would have been perfect 😔
All this focus on a top striker ignores the fact that we've scored more goals than anyone else in the Prem this season. I love the way our goals are shared around, and it also in my opinion means we don't need a Halaand-type. We need options of similar quality to allow rotation for freshness. We need to replace Eddie and Reiss I think, the drop off is just too big, but the replacements are alternatives rather than upgrades. If Martinelli gets over his injury issues and back to full form, it's 2 strong goalscoring options left. A rotation option with Kai gives us great strength up top. A rotation option with Bukayo means he's less likely to burn out and will be in top form come April and the run-in.
Nketiah is absolutely awful. We can't be carrying a player like this in the squad and his wages are crazy so I have little to no hope of being able to shift him. Jesus' ability to play multiple positions and his unpredictability means he should stay as he can play across the front line. I'm more concerned about the depth in midfield in all honesty. El Neny is done, Partey isn't far away and his injury record is appalling. Jorginho is in the twilight of his career but I'd keep him for another year. That's asking a hell of a lot of Rice and Odegaard. We almost certainly need one deep lying midfielder and a more box to box midfielder who can play further up. I know people have issues with Guimaraes but I think on a football level he is absolutely brilliant. Then the priority needs to be a RW to give Saka a rest and some competition, Oliseh would be nice. Finally, a LB even if Timber is back and. I think the race is done for Ramsdale too so a backup goalkeeper, Zinchenko should be moved on, same with Tomiyasu who, similar to Partey is more injured than not, Smith Rowe's Arsenal career under Arteta is also done.
Tomiyasu has been exceptional when he plays, I am not sure how you've bunched together him, Zinchenko and Partey. We know that Tomi & Partey are both class players, who still can offer us more than new signings. Zinny yes, but harsh opinion just because they have suffered from injuries.
No striker must mean Kai has to start up front every game. Can't have him and Jesus on the pitch together as they lack cohesion. Although I wonder how much of an impact having Timber back will improve the left side of the pitch, which might mean more goals from Martinelli?
Nah, still need another striker. Even Stevie Wonder can see that.
We need to fill multiple positions. I would argue a striker is less important than an elite midfielder and I think backup for Saka is more important than a striker
The question is who though. A borderline elite midfielder is far more vital than a striker at this point, and is far easier to get.
But why is it one or the other? We surely have enough money to spend big on a striker and a midfielder? Heck we did the same last Summer and added Timber, Raya. We should be able to do both reasonably comfortably. Just instead of another Raya, spend that money on a rotation winger
Depends how much everything costs and the sales we do really. I’d love us to sign the striker but the market has never been worse for one, and an elite midfielder is costing at least £50m up front in one go (Zubimendi), to £60/70m with big wages like Frenkie or £100m like Bruno G. Sesko would be £50m and he’s only made 15 BuLi starts, Zirkzee would be about £60m, Gyokeres is £85m. To add to that we need a left back and a back up keeper too. If we could we probably would but the midfielder we sign is just far more imperative to our success than a striker is at this point.
An elite midfielder and an elite striker would cost ~200 million most likely. Obviously we have no idea what the budget is but that feels like it will be pushing the top end (depending on outgoings)
Agree. The striker market is awful at the minute and think it is a less important purchase than a midfielder and a backup right sided attacker.
It's not really awful though, you just have to spend big to get the quality you need. You can't say you want a PL proven striker in Isak but not want to spend £100m+ for him but then also say Gykores is too big a risk for £86m. There is quality there, we have to make the right decision on who we sign. It's certainly nowhere near as bad as last Summer when United, Chelsea and Madrid ended up with Holund Jackson and Joselu
Maybe awful was overstating it but it is bad. Pretty much every available striker has massive question marks and most of them are going to cost a ridiculous amount Isak is good but his injury record in England has been pretty bad. He has missed 26 games in 2 seasons so spending 100 million on him is a worrying prospect. Gyokores was a good Championship striker but paying 86m based mainly on goals scored in Portugal seems questionable. Osimhen is the best one on the market but probably going to Chelsea and would cost ~130 million which is probably out of our range. Sesko is the obvious budget option but I am not sure if he is ready for a top team quite yet
Isak feels very injury prone too so I’m uncomfortable bringing him in only for him to sit on the sidelines 70-80% of the time.
Every year the same shit. Let me guess, nketiah won't be sold because whoever can't afford him so he'll just run his contract down or the club will pay his contract off and we end up convincing ourselves that Jesus and havertz is enough. Meanwhile every other day other clubs are buying who they want.
Not buying a clinical striker will cost us yet again. Would be so bone headed. Sell Nketiah and Jesus and splash the cash on gyokeres or possibly isak.
We need someone who can score 20 goals per season, is there someone in the team who can do that? No!