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Does Arsenal have an unhealthy reliance on Bukayo Saka & Kai Havertz?
By Adam Schultz
Arsenal relies heavily on Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, but will the Gunners add to the forward line before the summer is over?
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal got the Premier League season off to a perfect start with a 2-0 win over Wolves at the Emirates.
With Kai Havertz opening the scoring in the first half, and Bukayo Saka ending the contest late in the second half with a thunderous effort, the Gunners are no doubt happy with their efforts.
But does Arsenal have an unhealthy reliance on the pair after both played the majority of the 2023/24 campaign with no break?
GOAL.com's Matt O'Connor-Simpson thinks so.
"It's only right that there's plenty of excitement bubbling around the Emirates at present, then," O'Connor-Simpson wrote. "But analysing things from a wider lens, Arsenal's squad heading into the new season falls just short of perfection. Over his past three, full campaigns, Saka has missed just three Premier League matches. Havertz, meanwhile, featured in all but one of the Gunners' league games last season."
Him. pic.twitter.com/popYx9PzDF
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) August 17, 2024
With Saka an ever-present in the league and essentially any game the Gunners play of note, the young winger is at risk of burnout early in his career. As for Havertz, the German was a mainstay in the first-team last season, playing in 37 of the 38 league games. That kind of workload isn't sustainable, and is likely why the Gunners are in the mix for a new forward to ease the burden on the pair.
One could only imagine the Gunners' fortunes if one or both were sidelined for a significant period.
A fully fit Gabriel Jesus "could" be seen as the answer, but he has his injury issues, while Leandro Trossard could see increased game-time if no striker comes in before the transfer window slams shut, but he is better suited out wide.
If Arsenal is to be the team to topple Manchester City for the league title, the club simply can't put the same reliance on Saka and Havertz to be the main goalscorers, they need help.
And in truth, whether to not the club brings in a new forward could be the reason why they will or won't win the league this season.
Arteta has nearly all the pieces to the Premier League puzzle, he just needs a bonafide goalscorer to top it all off.
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