5 Arsenal players still waiting for their first goal

Arsenal find themselves on a strong run of form, with results that are being determined by the tightest of margins. Even if it’s a dominating performance, the odd goal is proving decisive.

Five of their last six wins in the Premier League have been by a single goal, with a handful of players tending to provide the crucial moment. Bukayo Saka turned up with the goods against Aston Villa last time out, a responsibility he’s reveling in.

He and Emile Smith Rowe now share the top goalscoring mantle with nine apiece in the league, a remarkable statistic that is even more exceptional in the context of the division.

They lead the way for goal involvements from players aged 21 or under, ahead of incredible talent like Phil Foden.

Arsenal: 5 players still waiting for their first goal this season with Mikel Arteta’s side having just ten Premier League matches left to play

Gabriel Martinelli features on that shortlist too, with the trio the three main sources of goals in the team along with Martin Odegaard. As four of the Gunners’ five main forward options, this is both reassuring as well as necessary. Lacazette isn’t prolific, but he’s second in the list for goals and assists combined.

In time there will be others to step up to the plate, including the elusive new centre-forward who will transform the outlook of the team, while across the squad there are some players still eyeing their own contributions this term.

Sharing goals out among a team, especially in one where the No. 9 is anything but prolific, is crucial. Manchester City and Chelsea do so, while Liverpool have otherworldly forward talent who can fly the flag on their own.

With ten matches left to play in the Premier League this season, there are five Arsenal men waiting to break their duck.

1. Takehiro Tomiyasu

It would help if he was fit, first of all.

Secondly, is his place in the team as certain as we might have thought? Mikel Arteta has (sometimes) shown himself to be a man of meritocracy, with Kieran Tierney’s spell out of the side earlier in the season through injury proving that opportunities are there for other players to stake a claim.

Cedric is still guilty of moments of madness, but he’s been consistently performing in Takehiro Tomiyasu’s absence and you could argue that it’s now his place to lose.

That’s not for certain, of course, as Tomi adds qualities to this side that his teammate can’t afford, but in terms of who has the greater goal threat you’d say Cedric is just in front.

It remains that the closest the summer signing has come to scoring was way back on his Premier League debut when he struck a volley against Norwich that flew just over the bar. Being the incredibly likeable man he is, if and when he does break his Gunners duck we can expect some wonderful celebrations from the rest of the team.

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