I agree we need a creative player like Ödegaard or Buendia in the summer, but I would rather extend Laca than have Chaka for another season. The only reason we need so much creativity in attack (more than pther teams) is becasue we transition the ball so slowly from defense to attacking areas, which lets the opponent get all their players between the ball and their goal and structure their defense. All that means middle of the park is closed to a much higher degree and we’re forced to attack down the wings and cross. A player like ESR have shown great potential as a remedy for that as he is elite at finding space, but transitioning the ball to attack faster would completely transform our fortunes. Xhaka and Ceballos are the worst sinners but that’s not to say Elneny is good enough. Top 4 will be nowhere to be seen until we’ve found a better partner for Partey as well as a backup with the same traits.
Don't be fooled by this recent run of form for Lacazette. We won't be a successful team with him as our 9. He is short, slow, weak, and technically limited. There has never been a successful PL team with a player like that up front, the most important outfield position. He certainly isn't a player for transitions. Maybe the midfield would pass the ball faster if we had players up front that made good runs in behind and could carry the ball.
Our attackers are just not up to it. Auba is a great goalscorer but is very limited. Pepe hasn't been good and Saka/ESR/Martinelli are kids. It's not sustainable to expect them to put in top level performances ever week in the PL. We'd have gotten more points from against Leicester, Burnley, Wolves ect if our forwards showed consistent quality.
I get what you mean about Xhaka, but for me he's been pretty solid this season. Can we upgrade? Sure. Would I commit significant funds to doing so at the expense of the forward positions? No.