Arsenal: What to do with Alex Iwobi

What does the future hold for Alex Iwobi? The Arsenal midfielder is extremely talented and painfully unproductive. How should the club handle his position and potential?

Does anyone have an idea as to what to do with Alex Iwobi? Because I don’t know what Arsenal should do with him.

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He is listed as a forward and he seems to have it all in his locker: size, speed, and strength galore, allied with excellent technical quality and creative vision in the final third. He is really strong on the ball and rarely loses possession but when he gets close to the penalty area, it all seems to break down.

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And then, of course, he can’t really score, and his assist tally is not that substantial either — at least he is not letting his frustration show as much on the field anymore. His body language was a little disconcerting at first, but he has since matured immeasurably.

When he first appeared on the scene though, a few years ago, he garnered all kinds of praise and admiration, not the least of which came from the highest possible source, Sir Alex Ferguson. Arsene Wenger was seen gushing in response also. The skill, the coif, the bloodline. The pride of the academy. Iwobi had it all! All except for the finish, but that will come, according to Wenger.

I remember Wenger telling the press one evening after a night of woeful misfortune, mishap, and missed opportunity, that Iwobi has to ‘work on his finishing’. Everyone at the time agreed. But it just hasn’t materialized. At least not yet. And so, I circle back to the same question: What to do with Alex Iwobi?

The transfer window is almost upon us. Is selling an option? Or is patience the ultimate answer? Arsenal need forwards who can put the ball in the net once in a while and take the pressure off the strikers. Look at Liverpool and Manchester City.

These teams spread the scoring around. Just look at how many goals Raheem Sterling has this season! And last I checked, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus were their strikers. Arsenal need secondary scoring. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are doing their job admirably, but there is little support from the midfield. And Iwobi is a contribution to the problem, not a possible solution.

Late last season there were a few games where Wenger used Iwobi in a deep-lying midfield position, where he used to employ Jack Wilshere. Iwobi would use his strength to win the ball and then drive forward, dribbling it up-field twenty yards or so and then moving it to the forwards. Job well done. Did Wenger see the future?

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Maybe it is just a matter of patience. Whatever it is, after watching the Watford game, my patience was wearing a little thin. A lot of speed, strength, great dribbling, heightened anticipation, but no real end product. So, what to do with Alex Iwobi. Anyone?

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