Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not necessarily the solution

In Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal have just signed one of the best strikers in world football. But have the Gunners strengthened in the wrong area?

Alexandre Lacazette has been Arsenal’s main threat up front all season.

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He has had his ups and downs, but with that goalless drought earlier this month looming over his head, his confidence seems non-existent. Watching his game against Swansea, you could clearly see he is a man lacking in self-belief. With only nine goals to his name so far this campaign, you start to wonder if he’ll ever become the attacking catalyst needed.

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Enter Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the most feared strikers in all of world football. He makes defenders quiver when he starts to run at them. With his blistering pace and an unnerving eye for goal, he will surely light up the league, right? That may not always be the case as even the best strikers need time to adjust and get used to their new surroundings. But, certainly, this is a player who only bolsters the attacking options already in the squad.

Last season, he netted 40 goals in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund. Will he be able to replicate that kind of form against different defenders and in a new country? Many strikers have come to England with glowing records only to leave empty-handed, El-Hadji Diouf, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Radamel Falcao to name a few. Whatever his adaptation period, though, it is exciting to see Aubameyang at the Emirates. But is he actually who, or more importantly what, Arsenal need?

Spending so much on the forward line and not strengthening the defence is asking for trouble. Fans are crying out for a centre-back. It’s fair to ask the question: If the Gunners had spent that £56 million on a world class centre-half, would they be better off for it?

Arsene Wenger’s negligence to invest in his back line shows that maybe he isn’t working on the team balance as much anymore. Take the game against Swansea, for instance. The Gunners were so imbalanced from the back to the front.

To throw out Ramsey, Elneny, and Xhaka all in midfield without any semblance of a plan or structure upset everything. None of them knew what position to play, Elneny was almost a third centre-half at times, while they lacked the cutting edge in possession edge that the absent Jack Wilshere so often provides.

Next: Arsenal: Ideal starting XI with Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan

So while Aubameyang is a wonderfully exciting signing and I am happy to see him here, there does need to be a little water thrown on the fire: Arsenal need a defender, they need a midfielder, they need a structure, a shape and a balance, none of which are currently being provided. An extra striker does not help any of that.