Last week I wrote about Arsenal’s attack and my belief that the team needs another reliable game-breaker besides Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Jobber. I will also preface this article by saying that neither Arteta’s coaching nor his system is causing any kind of disruption to Arsenal’s attacking game.
The team scored 91 goals in the Premier League last season, Bukayo Saka has had no hesitation in becoming one of the game’s great attacking players, and Arsenal have to some extent dominated every opponent they play. Generally speaking, when they score a goal they don’t sit back and defend. They scored five goals away to Sporting and West Ham last month.
I think the offense has a personnel problem. Martinelli is not doing much. Trossard doesn’t do that. Havertz is not doing that in front of goal. Sterling is doing nothing useful and Jesus is blowing hot and cold, not to mention. I think this is a recruiting issue, not a coaching issue. The question then becomes whether Arsenal should have done more to address this issue over the summer.
If I were to become Arsenal’s defender, I would say the following. They were looking to sign Leipzig’s Benjamin Cesko, an unpolished gem. The attempt was not successful. They have recognized the need for an additional striker to the extent of slamming Sterling Button on deadline day and refusing to grant the release of loanee Reiss Nelson until a deal is completed.
It might not be people’s favorite spot, and it might be inconvenient, but the market was pretty empty. Liverpool signed Chiesa for a reduced price as he was prone to injuries and it would have been better for Arsenal to sign him as a left-back. City did not replace Julian Alvarez. Chelsea, the world’s most reckless spending club, also brought in Neto and Sancho, who have barely contributed this season. (Unfortunately, Neto’s only worthwhile contribution came against Arsenal!)
I think some of the claims that Arteta doesn’t prioritize attackers seem pretty silly when put into context. Saka and Martinelli started the last Premier League game and were both at the club when Arteta arrived. Arteta has also left Arsenal with an estimated £162m spent on a attacking trio of Lacazette, Aubameyang and Pepe who have completely failed.
Of course, Arteta and Arsenal said goodbye when Willian was willing to leave money on the table to leave after a disastrous year at the club. But it also serves as a warning of what can happen if you get it wrong. If you spend around £100m on an attacker and get it wrong, you won’t be able to buy another one for a while.
I’d argue that Arsenal are probably in ‘we’ve got to do something now and hope it works’ territory, but I think it’s disingenuous to assume that this is an easy choice, or one that doesn’t involve great risk. The counter argument to this is that Arteta was willing to gamble on more defensive players.
At Atleti, Partey’s minutes were kept very carefully. Calafiori has suffered a very serious knee injury in the past and Arsenal have decided to run with it. The difference, I think, is that this player costs £50m, whereas gambling on an attacker would likely set you back double that.
I don’t think Arsenal should be offered the ‘at least you tried’ cake, but the big-money bids for Vlahovic and especially Mudryk suggest there is an appetite for risk in attack. There’s nothing more risky than pouring your budget into Mudryk. This is a market where attackers compete. You get a relatively uncontested defender. If you go looking for a hitter in this market, you’ll likely get involved in a bidding war.
But I’m more accepting of the idea that Arsenal don’t really need a Goldilocks striker if they don’t have one. In the current market, an upgrade from Havertz and Martinelli would probably be difficult (if not outright impossible). I think there are pertinent questions about whether Arsenal have upgraded Nketiah and Nelson.
The current output of Jesus and Sterling does not overshadow Nketiah and Nelson. Let’s hope Jesus’ hat-trick last night serves as a jumping-off point for this season, but we should also remember that Eddie Nketiah also scored a hat-trick last season. Repeatability is what we need in Brazil.
I think Arsenal probably need another ‘game breaker’, but a better solution from the bench than Raheem Sterling modeling the latest Arsenal tracksuit would still represent improvement. Leo Trossard has improved Arsenal’s attack, but he is far from a perfect signing.
The interest in Sesko suggests Arsenal are not waiting for Goldilocks in an offensive sense, Sesko would have been a ‘project signing’ to show where the market is. I think it was also interesting that Arteta said he sees Ethan Nwaneri as the number 9 of the future.
I think it would be really smart to develop him there. If the striker market continues to become poorer and the resulting economic hardship becomes more difficult, choosing to develop the most talented academy players in the positions where it is most difficult to fill the squad makes a lot of sense. The other two positions in particular that seem to suit him best are filled by Odegaard and Saka.
My Arsenal Vision colleague Elliot posed the following thought experiment. If you could go back in time and influence events, would you rather Arsenal sign a striker in the summer? Or do we get rid of the three red cards we received early in the campaign and stick with what we have? I think this is a really interesting question that tells us where you stand on the question of whether Arsenal should have taken greater risks in attack over the summer.
