3 positions for Arsenal to improve in transfer window

1. Striker

Surprise, surprise.

Part of the development of this Arsenal team has been the creation of new threats across the pitch. Saka, Smith Rowe and Martinelli provide pace and danger from wide areas, while the acquisition of Martin Odegaard has led to some consistent chance creation and goal threat from central midfield.

Partey, White and Gabriel are threats on set pieces. Tierney and Cedric are able to provide dangerous balls from their bursts forward. Yet out of all the positions on the pitch, the main threat is missing. Arsenal do not have a star striker.

Lacazette provides a physical presence up top. He can link up play, create midfield overloads and open space for those wide players to make runs in behind. Yet the simple fact is that the Frenchman does not score enough goals. He lacks the ability, fitness, and the confidence necessary to finish off unlikely (or even likely) chances. Placing the burden for goals on the wide players has worked thus far but is not sustainable, even if modern football has seen a continuous rise in goalscoring widemen.

The downsides of Arsenal’s No. 9 can also be discussed in terms of threat. The threat Lacazette provides is one-dimensional. While he can drop deep and link with Odegaard and Partey, he doesn’t pose the threat in behind. He can’t run. Defenses are wary and forced to mark a striker closely if he adds danger in front and behind them. Although the team he plays for is remarkably average at best, Harry Kane (sorry) is a fine example of someone who can do it all.

He can drop deep to pull players out of position and does this exceptionally well. Yet this is not all he has in his game. He is equally comfortable playing on the shoulder of the last defender and making those blind-side runs into space to finish off an assist. Lacazette does not do enough of the latter, while his ability to do the former is limited as well.

Striker is the most important of the positions that have been discussed. Replacing Lacazette with a player who can provide threat in multiple dimensions is key to Arsenal consistently challenging for top four. It will teleport this team into another galaxy.