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Edu's Transfer Targets: Summer Holidays 2021

Which position would be your #1 priority to strengthen?


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Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
Mikel Arteta has a conundrum at centre-forward. The problem is not, as you might first think, choosing between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. The problem is that neither of them appears to be quite what Arsenal’s manager wants.

In this defeat against Aston Villa, Arteta started with Lacazette, then swapped him out for the club captain after 59 minutes. “It’s been a really difficult decision, as you imagine,” the manager explained before the game. “I felt the players that played against Wolves deserved another chance today.”

But is this really about faith in one striker, or is it rather a lack of conviction in either? Lacazette has not been starting of late because Arteta suddenly sees him as the right fit for his plans. He’s been starting because he does the most passable impression of the kind of centre-forward this Arsenal manager really desires.

Lacazette’s role in this team is as a fulcrum, a focal point. He links the play and drops deep, creating space for the likes of Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe to run in behind. He works hard off the ball, closing down the opposition and pressing from the front. He is, first and foremost, a facilitator.

You can’t fault his commitment. He battles bravely — and he has to, because he is fighting to be something he’s not. Arteta would surely rather Lacazette was six inches taller, a step quicker, and that his touch was slightly more sure. When Arsenal broke clear in the first half, Lacazette had a fantastic opportunity to play in one of Pepe or Saka but failed to pick the right pass to slice the opposition open. That’s no great surprise: it has never been his strength. He is not a target man, and not a creator. Lacazette is like someone trying to keep hold of a lover, pleading against plausibility: “I can change!”

Then there’s Aubameyang. For the vast majority of Arteta’s reign, he has played from the left — a clear indication that he is not Arteta’s centre-forward of choice. There is surely a way to play with Aubameyang as a free-running, penalty-box striker. As the player ages, it makes sense to reduce the space in which he’s asked to operate, as Leicester have with Jamie Vardy.

In June last year, Vardy told The Athletichow Brendan Rodgers had helped him adapt his game. “The gaffer has helped me a lot,” Vardy explained. “He’s got me playing slightly differently. The main part is pressing-wise. Yeah, he wants me to press but it’s silly trying to press a whole back four and just wasting energy. I should press when we know we’ve got a chance of winning the ball. Before, I’d have probably sprinted from right-back to left-back and back across again, which is just burning energy up for no reason.

“It’s about keeping that energy and that mindset so you’re ready to (he clicks his fingers) fully go 100 per cent when you know that there is a chance to win the ball, rather than trying to do that when there is a 10 per cent chance of winning the ball.”

Arsenal could potentially use Aubameyang in that kind of fashion if they were prepared to liberate him from the responsibilities Lacazette has to shoulder. At the moment, Arteta seems to regard deploying that sort of striker as a tactical luxury Arsenal cannot afford.

Perhaps that is partly informed by the dip in Aubameyang’s form this season. Nineteen Premier League starts have yielded just five goals. There has been an improvement in his performances of late, but his lack of productivity presents a problem: if he doesn’t score, Aubameyang doesn’t offer much else. Playing him from the flanks enables Arteta to squeeze in Lacazette — certainly more of a jack of all trades — but it also means leaving out a creative player in the wide areas.

During Unai Emery’s time as Arsenal manager, he believed the best way to use Aubameyang and Lacazette was in tandem — that playing them as a strike partnership offset their respective weaknesses. The closest Arteta has come to that has been deploying Lacazette as a No 10 behind the captain — once again, asking the Frenchman to be somebody else. To play a true front two would be a major departure for Arteta, and appears unlikely.

If Aubameyang is not the man Arteta wants as his spearhead, it begs a big question: why sign him to a lucrative three-year contract? As for Lacazette, Arsenal are yet to open renewal talks on a deal that expires in 2022. That at least shows a recognition that he is not the ideal fit or the man for the future. The issue with Aubameyang and Lacazette is not one of quality, it is one of type. Arteta has a habit of using the word “specificity” to discuss positional requirements, and it feels as if there’s something very specific he wants from a centre-forward that neither of these two quite offers.

Perhaps Arteta will have cast envious eyes at this weekend’s opposition. Not for the first time this season, match-winner Ollie Watkins ran Arsenal ragged.

Watkins played for half an hour more than Lacazette, but even taking that into account, the difference between the two performances was stark. Watkins made five ball recoveries to Lacazette’s zero; he won nine duels to Lacazette’s one, seven of those coming in the air. Arsenal were crying out for some aerial presence, having reverted to some of their old tricks in this game, playing 35 crosses (25 from open play).

It wasn’t just the physical aspects that separated Watkins and Lacazette — the Villa forward managed four shots on goal, three of which were on target. Lacazette’s hour did not produce a single shot. Opta pointed out that across Arsenal’s two meetings with Villa this season, Watkins managed as many shots on target as the entire Arsenal team put together.

Perhaps Watkins doesn’t quite have the glamorous name or international pedigree Arsenal fans might hope for in a new centre-forward. He doesn’t have the star billing of an Aubameyang or Lacazette. This was, however, a perfect example of the kind of all-round, all-action display Arteta seems to demand.

Curiously the striker on Arsenal’s books who might most fit the bill, Gabriel Martinelli, did not make it off the bench in this game. Instead, Arteta went once again for Willian, hoping against hope to summon a spark of life in the elder Brazilian. Martinelli has not played a minute since being withdrawn at half-time in the 0-0 draw with Manchester United, his transgression unclear. It has been some time now since we last saw him used as a centre-forward.

This striker situation is, at least, coming to a head. Come the summer, both Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will have 12 months left on their contracts — a decision on their futures must surely be imminent. At this stage, it’s possible to imagine both leaving. Arteta seems to know what he wants from a centre-forward — and it’s not something he currently has. A striker could well be at the top of Arteta’s shopping list come the summer.

Hmmm James McNicholas has edited this since this morning.
 

Bloodbather

Established Member

Country: Turkey
I'd favor signing a creative LW/CAM over signing an all-around CF. Move Aubameyang to CF permanently, get a creative winger on the left and have Saka, ESR, Pépé and that signing supply Auba.

This is for two reasons: 1) We aren't getting rid of Auba, and the sensible thing to do is to maximize his impact. 2) Martinelli should be our CF in the post-Auba era, so it's pointless to sign a long-term CF.

Grealish is obviously the dream, I'd be content only signing Grealish and not signing anyone else, in fact. I think Olise would be a very sensible target, also, if we combine him with other reinforcements.
 

dashsnow17

Doesn’t Rate Any Of Our Attackers
Trusted ⭐
Mikel Arteta has a conundrum at centre-forward. The problem is not, as you might first think, choosing between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. The problem is that neither of them appears to be quite what Arsenal’s manager wants.

In this defeat against Aston Villa, Arteta started with Lacazette, then swapped him out for the club captain after 59 minutes. “It’s been a really difficult decision, as you imagine,” the manager explained before the game. “I felt the players that played against Wolves deserved another chance today.”

But is this really about faith in one striker, or is it rather a lack of conviction in either? Lacazette has not been starting of late because Arteta suddenly sees him as the right fit for his plans. He’s been starting because he does the most passable impression of the kind of centre-forward this Arsenal manager really desires.

Lacazette’s role in this team is as a fulcrum, a focal point. He links the play and drops deep, creating space for the likes of Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe to run in behind. He works hard off the ball, closing down the opposition and pressing from the front. He is, first and foremost, a facilitator.

You can’t fault his commitment. He battles bravely — and he has to, because he is fighting to be something he’s not. Arteta would surely rather Lacazette was six inches taller, a step quicker, and that his touch was slightly more sure. When Arsenal broke clear in the first half, Lacazette had a fantastic opportunity to play in one of Pepe or Saka but failed to pick the right pass to slice the opposition open. That’s no great surprise: it has never been his strength. He is not a target man, and not a creator. Lacazette is like someone trying to keep hold of a lover, pleading against plausibility: “I can change!”

Then there’s Aubameyang. For the vast majority of Arteta’s reign, he has played from the left — a clear indication that he is not Arteta’s centre-forward of choice. There is surely a way to play with Aubameyang as a free-running, penalty-box striker. As the player ages, it makes sense to reduce the space in which he’s asked to operate, as Leicester have with Jamie Vardy.

In June last year, Vardy told The Athletichow Brendan Rodgers had helped him adapt his game. “The gaffer has helped me a lot,” Vardy explained. “He’s got me playing slightly differently. The main part is pressing-wise. Yeah, he wants me to press but it’s silly trying to press a whole back four and just wasting energy. I should press when we know we’ve got a chance of winning the ball. Before, I’d have probably sprinted from right-back to left-back and back across again, which is just burning energy up for no reason.

“It’s about keeping that energy and that mindset so you’re ready to (he clicks his fingers) fully go 100 per cent when you know that there is a chance to win the ball, rather than trying to do that when there is a 10 per cent chance of winning the ball.”

Arsenal could potentially use Aubameyang in that kind of fashion if they were prepared to liberate him from the responsibilities Lacazette has to shoulder. At the moment, Arteta seems to regard deploying that sort of striker as a tactical luxury Arsenal cannot afford.

Perhaps that is partly informed by the dip in Aubameyang’s form this season. Nineteen Premier League starts have yielded just five goals. There has been an improvement in his performances of late, but his lack of productivity presents a problem: if he doesn’t score, Aubameyang doesn’t offer much else. Playing him from the flanks enables Arteta to squeeze in Lacazette — certainly more of a jack of all trades — but it also means leaving out a creative player in the wide areas.

During Unai Emery’s time as Arsenal manager, he believed the best way to use Aubameyang and Lacazette was in tandem — that playing them as a strike partnership offset their respective weaknesses. The closest Arteta has come to that has been deploying Lacazette as a No 10 behind the captain — once again, asking the Frenchman to be somebody else. To play a true front two would be a major departure for Arteta, and appears unlikely.

If Aubameyang is not the man Arteta wants as his spearhead, it begs a big question: why sign him to a lucrative three-year contract? As for Lacazette, Arsenal are yet to open renewal talks on a deal that expires in 2022. That at least shows a recognition that he is not the ideal fit or the man for the future. The issue with Aubameyang and Lacazette is not one of quality, it is one of type. Arteta has a habit of using the word “specificity” to discuss positional requirements, and it feels as if there’s something very specific he wants from a centre-forward that neither of these two quite offers.

Perhaps Arteta will have cast envious eyes at this weekend’s opposition. Not for the first time this season, match-winner Ollie Watkins ran Arsenal ragged.

Watkins played for half an hour more than Lacazette, but even taking that into account, the difference between the two performances was stark. Watkins made five ball recoveries to Lacazette’s zero; he won nine duels to Lacazette’s one, seven of those coming in the air. Arsenal were crying out for some aerial presence, having reverted to some of their old tricks in this game, playing 35 crosses (25 from open play).

It wasn’t just the physical aspects that separated Watkins and Lacazette — the Villa forward managed four shots on goal, three of which were on target. Lacazette’s hour did not produce a single shot. Opta pointed out that across Arsenal’s two meetings with Villa this season, Watkins managed as many shots on target as the entire Arsenal team put together.

Perhaps Watkins doesn’t quite have the glamorous name or international pedigree Arsenal fans might hope for in a new centre-forward. He doesn’t have the star billing of an Aubameyang or Lacazette. This was, however, a perfect example of the kind of all-round, all-action display Arteta seems to demand.

Curiously the striker on Arsenal’s books who might most fit the bill, Gabriel Martinelli, did not make it off the bench in this game. Instead, Arteta went once again for Willian, hoping against hope to summon a spark of life in the elder Brazilian. Martinelli has not played a minute since being withdrawn at half-time in the 0-0 draw with Manchester United, his transgression unclear. It has been some time now since we last saw him used as a centre-forward.

This striker situation is, at least, coming to a head. Come the summer, both Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will have 12 months left on their contracts — a decision on their futures must surely be imminent. At this stage, it’s possible to imagine both leaving. Arteta seems to know what he wants from a centre-forward — and it’s not something he currently has. A striker could well be at the top of Arteta’s shopping list come the summer.

Hmmm James McNicholas has edited this since this morning.

Oh I thought it was gonna be a list of potential candidates, it's just a 1000 words saying we need a new CF and Ollie Watkins is good, could've said that in a tweet.
 

GoonerJeeves

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Norway
Also how isn't RB an option on the poll, Bellerin limits us offensively on the right and is a massively liability defensively especially in one on one situation but he's positionally naive too. It's probably our most obvious issue with Lacazette in decent form and now with options in attacking midfield, Bellerin sticks out like a sore thumb. Cedric is already but definitely not a starting for a club with CL aspirations.

I went 'Other' for this very reason, and I am glad someone pointed it out. Hector is Arsenal through and through, but in my view he will need replacing quite soon. Since his injury he has lost pace, and that was always an important part of his game. It is time to think of a replacement, sooner rather than later.
 

benjamin86

Established Member
Oh I thought it was gonna be a list of potential candidates, it's just a 1000 words saying we need a new CF and Ollie Watkins is good, could've said that in a tweet.
Alexander Isak sounds like the player he's describing in that article.
 

HairSprayGooners

My brother posted it ⏩
Isak fits the bill perfectly. 6ft 4, very quick and also excellent on the ball. Aside from Haaland there probably isn't a better option. Plus I think Isak is better at linking play anyway.

Wonder what he would cost.
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
Suggested Ivan Toney in the wish list thread and I'd like us to seriously consider taking a chance on him. So much talent has come from the Championship recently and Maupay and Watkins before him at Brentford have turned into really good PL strikers so would be nice to see us make the move before other teams for a change at a decent price.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
Suggested Ivan Toney in the wish list thread and I'd like us to seriously consider taking a chance on him. So much talent has come from the Championship recently and Maupay and Watkins before him at Brentford have turned into really good PL strikers so would be nice to see us make the move before other teams for a change at a decent price.

I like him a lot as well mate. The ball just sticks to him and I swear every single 50/50 he gets in the air.

Whatever the opposite of a 50p coin head is, that’s what he’s got. He’s so good at directing his knockdowns. Also his finishing is very good now, his runs are very smart off the defender’s shoulder.

Meanwhile in Buendia-watch Norwich are imploding and are almost out of the automatic spots. If they bottle promotion reckon 25M is what they’re settling for.
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
I like him a lot as well mate. The ball just sticks to him and I swear every single 50/50 he gets in the air.

Whatever the opposite of a 50p coin head is, that’s what he’s got. He’s so good at directing his knockdowns. Also his finishing is very good now, his runs are very smart off the defender’s shoulder.

Meanwhile in Buendia-watch Norwich are imploding and are almost out of the automatic spots. If they bottle promotion reckon 25M is what they’re settling for.
Yeah a very composed finisher and his hold up play is excellent. Have also been impressed that he seems to have a decent eye for a pass when I've seen him, he isn't a typical poacher that you might think from his goal record.

I like Buendia too, was keen on us to go for him last summer, had a great season in the Prem with Norwich. Hasn't been a lot of misses coming out of the Championship in terms of signings recently.
 

Goonger

Well-Known Member
Suggested Ivan Toney in the wish list thread and I'd like us to seriously consider taking a chance on him. So much talent has come from the Championship recently and Maupay and Watkins before him at Brentford have turned into really good PL strikers so would be nice to see us make the move before other teams for a change at a decent price.

We were talking about Toney a few weeks back just to get shot down because he was unproven at this level, was league 1 level last year etc etc. It's like no one ever really learns on here to be honest, or has a realisation of where we are.
 

dashsnow17

Doesn’t Rate Any Of Our Attackers
Trusted ⭐
Alexander Isak sounds like the player he's describing in that article.

Yeah he's in that group of young strikers kind of a level or two below Haaland and Mbappe. Isak, Malen, Edouard, Daka, Nunez...all promising but hard to say which ones will go on to be elite. I imagine we're keeping track on all of them.
 

dashsnow17

Doesn’t Rate Any Of Our Attackers
Trusted ⭐
I'd favor signing a creative LW/CAM over signing an all-around CF. Move Aubameyang to CF permanently, get a creative winger on the left and have Saka, ESR, Pépé and that signing supply Auba.

This is for two reasons: 1) We aren't getting rid of Auba, and the sensible thing to do is to maximize his impact. 2) Martinelli should be our CF in the post-Auba era, so it's pointless to sign a long-term CF.

Grealish is obviously the dream, I'd be content only signing Grealish and not signing anyone else, in fact. I think Olise would be a very sensible target, also, if we combine him with other reinforcements.

That does also make sense yeah, Auba's here so are we really gonna play him LW for another two seasons. We could put him up top and just play a different way, certainly have to stop all the aerial crosses, they're pointless as it is.

I'm not sure it matters so much which position it is, we just need an injection of proper elite quality in the final third, whether that's at CF or in one of the other positions. We have great talent like Saka and ESR but I just don't think they're ready to shoulder everything. A proper prime age talent like Grealish could take a lot of the attention away from Saka and allow him to do more damage.
 
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