Arsenal: Henrikh Mkhitaryan only progress if he comes in certain form

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to sign for Arsenal as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez. He could be progress, but only if he comes in a certain form: A Mesut-Ozil partner, not replacement.

Alexis Sanchez is on his way out of Arsenal football club. For many, myself included, that is a welcome development. While the Chilean is undoubtedly one of the more talented and effective players that the Gunners have had in the past decade, he has grown into a problem. His attitude, his strops, his waning to leave. They are distractions that are no longer needed.

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And it seems as though Arsene Wenger, perhaps forcibly, agrees. Sanchez has arrived in Manchester to complete a medical ahead of a complex and substantial swap deal with Manchester United involving unused and unwanted midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

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It is a step that has been anticipated for many days now, with a few niggling issues to be ironed out that were never expected to scupper the entirety of the deal. And from an Arsenal perspective, it is a trade that is relatively successful: offloading a player who does not want to stay and can leave for nothing in just six months for a player of natural talent and potential does not sound all that bad.

Now, of the two players, Sanchez is the better. You’d be hard-pressed to see many people disagree with that statement. But that does not mean that Mkhitaryan arriving at the Emirates cannot be considered progress, if done in the right form and followed by the right, accompanying, complementary moves.

Specifically, there are two things that Arsenal must do to use this seemingly catastrophic scenario and turn it into a positive: Sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang; Re-sign Mesut Ozil to a new deal.

I want to touch on the latter especially. Mkhitaryan is a very similar player to Ozil. He likes to get on the ball frequently. He uses his superior intelligence, positional and spatial awareness, and incisive vision to break down opposing defences. He is not a traditional winger who relies on searing pace or sharp, quick dribbling.

And the fear is a simple one: Mkhitaryan is here to replace, not join, Ozil. In that form, the Armenian cannot possibly be considered as development, even if Aubameyang is signed as well. The re-signing of Ozil to a new deal that keeps him in North London is very quickly becoming the most important duty of the club.

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Before, it was securing a suitable replacement for Alexis, a player who was capable of replicating his inordinate influence. In Mkhitaryan, they have, to some extent, managed that. But now the real work starts, and it all revolves around one Mesut Ozil.