da cassino： Arsenal’s need for a striker is perhaps the most obvious area of Arsene Wenger’s stubbornness over the last few years.
da casino： Having refused to part with the big money needed to sign one, the Gunners have relied on Olivier Giroud to lead the line, and this season even went with Alexis Sanchez in the role of the highest attacker.
On paper, the results haven’t been terrible: the Chilean scored 24 goals and pitched in with ten assists in the Premier League this season, while Giroud scored 12 goals from only 34 shots on target.
But whatever the successes, it’s hard to get away from the nagging – and ubiquitous – belief that Arsenal continue to follow a long-established pattern: early promise, collapse, revival (too late), repeat. Somewhere along the line, though, between revival and repeat, comes the word everyone tries not to say every year: ‘warchest’. Or, if you prefer, ‘w*rchest’.
Annually, speculation about the club’s transfer budget is often reported in the media, while at the same time, Arsene Wenger appears to baulk at large price tags. It’s a vicious circle: other teams know the Gunners have the money and drive up their asking prices, meanwhile, Arsenal are left looking for value where there is none.
Having to live through the same lack of a title challenge and seemingly the very same season year after year is clearly a maddening thought, and the lack of a big name striker is an obvious target for fan rage: if you don’t spend the money on a man to score the goals, how is the cycle ever going to change? There are some misconceptions, though.
Although Arsenal could probably benefit from another attacking threat, the belief that the Gunners lack a penalty box striker is unfounded. They do have one. They have Alexis Sanchez.
This season, he has scored more goals than anyone other than Christian Benteke in the six-yard box. Sanchez has eight, and the Belgian nine – even though Sanchez has also played in other positions in behind the striker this season. His strike rate is impressive for anyone, let alone a player usually considered as an attacking midfielder. There are real signs that Sanchez should be considered an out-and-out striker, and if he is, the need for a big name striker decreases.
That’s not to say that Wenger’s strategy has been spot on. It hasn’t. If Sanchez is the answer to the attacking problems, then he can’t be the answer to the attacking midfield problems, too Problems which are left by moving him away from the left. All Wenger has done is move the problem one step further away.
But it does mean that reported interest in both Alexandre Lacazette and Kylian Mbappe, seems strange. Why would Arsenal suddenly bow to the pressure to sign a striker after the only season in recent years when they seemed to have a good one? Why move Sanchez back into a deeper, or wider, role when he has proved that he can lead the line for a top Premier League club?
Instead of spending a reported £50m on Lacazette, or a potential €100m on Mbappe, why not trust Sanchez and spend that money on a winger instead? Certainly it makes a compelling argument against splurging on Alexandre Lacazette, though it might be less clear with Mbappe. After all, this is one of Europe’s most exciting talents, and buying him would represent more than just the signing of a striker. It would be the addition of a potentially world class talent.
But whatever the pros and cons of the signings, it’s hard to escape the feeling that Arsenal are at least one season too late in looking at these sorts of players. Sure, we’re talking about reports and not anything confirmed, but if Wenger is seriously looking for a striker, it would be a strange reaction after a season in which he seemed so validated in his decision to play Sanchez in the role.
There’s no debate about how good Sanchez is on the left of the attacking midfield line, and Arsenal would undoubtedly be stronger with extra world class attacker in their ranks, especially if they’re to play with a 3-4-3 formation, allowing three attackers to work in tandem rather than one focal point supported by runners from midfield. But it does seem strange to neglect one area for years only to come back to it again when the problem seemed adequately solved by a 30 goal striker.
Unless Sanchez is leaving. But that’s another story.
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