Arsenal: Patrick Schick just a confusing shot in the dark

Arsenal are going to be curious what kind of striker help they can find in January and Patrick Schick has arisen as an enticing, yet confusing, option.

Arsenal used last January’s transfer window to do some amazing things, landing Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang while extending Mesut Ozil. It was a definite push for the here and now, and it will be hard to top that transfer haul this time around.

But names are starting to float about, and with the club developing some hitches in their giddy-up, mainly in an attack that was supposed to be foolproof, there might be the need to purchase at a position that was once so stocked.

With Welbeck hurt for a long time, Mkhitaryan struggling, Ozil inconsistent, Aubameyang inconsistent and Ramsey on his way out, it’s come time to assess if we’re as stacked as we thought we were.

Enter Patrick Schick. I’m not sure why or how, but here he is. The 22-year-old Roma striker has emerged as a potential target for an exchange that would see Ramsey dealt to the Italian club in exchange for their young Czech striker.

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The need for a striker is certainly there for the Gunners, and it can’t be easy to find a striker who would be okay growing up behind Lacazette and Aubameyang, but that is what Schick would be asked to do. Which is also what I thought Eddie Nketiah was being asked to do, but maybe I won’t talk about that right now.

There is a lot to like about Schick, being a physically imposing, athletic striker with an eye for the occasional intelligent pass to link up play. But Schick has played less than 3000 minutes at a top-tier level and in those less than 3000 minutes he has scored just 14 goals.

Again, there is a lot of potential in him, but if you’re going to take a shot in the dark, why not given Nketiah a ride in the saddle rather than hoping that we don’t stumble on another Yaya Sanogo (the original shot in the dark).

We all like spending money, and it would be nice to get a return on Aaron Ramsey, seeing as how he is incredibly valuable. And I’m not saying I would be opposed to Schick making the move to the Emirates, but it really depends on what the terms of the move are. I would hate to see Nketiah blocked for someone who isn’t any more proven than he is.