Arsenal: Michy Batshuayi Is Not The Answer

Arsenal may have to act quick to replace Danny Welbeck if they want to compete next year. That doesn’t mean Michy Batshuayi is the answer.

The news that Danny Welbeck will be out until next January should be met with many a blank stare. It is going to be a repeat of last year’s striker crop if Arsenal cannot replace him and knowing Arsene Wenger’s track record, replacing him just might not happen.

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While strikers like Alexandre Lacazette would fit into the Gunner’s scheme seamlessly, that doesn’t mean that every readily available striker is the perfect solution to Arsenal’s problems.

While any young striker has the potential to grow into something special at Arsenal, what the Gunners need now is a relevant striker as is. There is one particular link that fits into the category of ‘could be, but is it worth it?’ That link is to Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi.

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Batshuayi has been at Marseille for just two years now and in those two years, he has scored 28 goals in 71 appearances. Not the worst return by any means and to be fair, he was doing it for a mid-table French team. But what will those numbers translate to when moving to Arsenal, a top tier English team? He scored 22 goals in 3400 minutes this year. Giroud scored 21 in 2700 minutes. By those numbers alone, Batshuayi may not be the smoothest transition. At least not right away.

Not only that, but it’s hard to discern where Batshuayi fits into Arsenal’s scheme. Where as Lacazette would be a perfect fit for what Walcott was supposed to fulfill, Batshuayi does not have a clear cut role to fill.

For starters, Batshuayi loses possession. Rather frequently, in fact. If there is one thing that I do not want to see in a new Arsenal striker, it is an inability to retain the ball. We have had to deal with far too many of those kinds of attackers. Batshuayi loses the ball nearly five times a game.

Meanwhile, he is offside twice as much as Lacazette, with not as much pace.

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Batshuayi does have size, hence the comparisons to Romelu Lukaku, but he hasn’t shown an ability to wield it just yet.

Again, these are all things that could develop, but he cannot be seen as an immediate solution to Arsenal’s striker woes. Lacazette fills that need.

I’m not opposed to the idea of investing in Batshuayi for the long run, but that removes faith from Chuba Akpom and Donyell Malen. And Yaya Sanogo, if you really want to go that far.

The tough part to swallow about this rumor is that Batshuayi is available. Painfully available.

Next: 5 Potential Replacements For Arsene Wenger

“I think everyone knows he will leave,” caretaker manager Franck Passisaid, as quoted by the Metro. So there you have it. Tottenham and West Ham are both interested and may have already launched bids. We shouldn’t expect, nor should we really be holding out for Arsenal to do the same.