Arsenal’s frontline is talented, but aging, and it’s likely that at least one starting striker will leave during the summer. Replacements must be lined up, and fast.
Arsenal have invested heavily at the striker position in recent years, and soon must do so again. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang entering the final year of his contract, and Alexandre Lacazette in initial contract talks with Juventus, our prolific front line will soon be in need of repair and refurbishment.
Arsenal’s contacts-based recruitment method works as follows: the club choses “positions of need,” Mikel Arteta determines suitability, or “what type of player is needed,” and then Raul Sanllehi and his team scour the client lists of their agent friends to find a match.
As such, this system will have to work overtime to prepare for a number of scenarios, as one such position of need will be at striker. With at least one player set to depart, we need replacements lined up, and fast.
Let’s run through the possible striker scenarios, starting with the least pleasant alternative.
Arsenal have invested heavily at the striker position in recent years, and soon must do so again. With <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=pierre+emerick+aubameyang%22>Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</a> entering the final year of his contract, and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=alexandre+lacazette%22>Alexandre Lacazette</a> in initial contract talks with Juventus, our prolific front line will soon be in need of repair and refurbishment.</p>
<p>Arsenal’s contacts-based recruitment method works as follows: the club choses “positions of need,” <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=mikel+arteta%22>Mikel Arteta</a> determines suitability, or “what type of player is needed,” and then <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=raul+sanllehi%22>Raul Sanllehi</a> and his team scour the client lists of their agent friends to find a match.</p>
<p>As such, this system will have to work overtime to prepare for a number of scenarios, as one such position of need will be at striker. With at least one player set to depart, we need replacements lined up, and fast.</p>
<p>Let’s run through the possible striker scenarios, starting with the least pleasant alternative.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Scenario 1 - Worst Case Scenario </a>
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<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-103144" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1254875532.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1254875532.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1254875532-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>Worst Case Scenario: We only sell Eddie Nketiah</h4>
<p>It honestly doesn’t bear repeating. The possibility of keeping all of our aging talent, and selling the future of the strikeforce is a terrible thought, and it won’t happen. But we need to prepare for the opportunity that somebody with deep pockets comes calling.</p>
<p>Luckily, we have one solution ready-made. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=gabriel+martinelli%22>Gabriel Martinelli</a> is waiting in the wings, and would flourish at the opportunity to play in the number 9 role. The Brazilian’s electric pace, fervent pressing, and instinctual finishing would make him an ideal partner, and eventually successor to <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=eddie+nketiah%22>Eddie Nketiah</a>, and he deserves to be a number 9 regardless.</p>
<div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="232" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" allow="encrypted-media" title="Spotify Embed: Season 3; Episode 25 -- Mikel Arteta has won the war" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/14A946KomeM7jzFeBKUHX8?si=qWLQ0hYcREesB9Er5BhtEw%22>
<p>Relying on Martinelli would also ensure that whatever sum we get for the sale of Eddie would be put into other transfers, such as an extended deal for <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=thomas+partey%22>Thomas Partey</a>, or potentially <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=luka+jovic%22>Luka Jovic</a> or <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=dayot+upamecano%22>Dayot Upamecano</a>, both of whom have low price tags considering their ability.</p>
<p>But if a purchase is deemed necessary, then look no further than RB Salzburg’s <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/ca45605e/Patson-Daka">Patson Daka</a>. The 21-year-old has 27 goals in 45 appearances this season, including one in the UCL group stages. He averages a goal every 100 minutes, better than any Arsenal player, and while the difference in quality between the Premier League and Austrian Bundesliga is significant, RB Salzburg have not lost a game in which Daka has scored all season, a telling statistic.</p>
<p>Standing at a hair over 6’0″, the Zambian international possesses a lethal right foot, and is very hard to dispossess—about 0.5 times per game in Europe this season. His best trait is his blistering speed, and he is at his best when he is able to take a touch into space, accelerate around a defender, and slot the ball into the bottom corner.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="Upcoming transfer window too good?" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/11/arsenal-upcoming-transfer-good/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/11/arsenal-upcoming-transfer-good/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Upcoming transfer window too good? </a> </div>
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<p>Even greater possibly than his skill on the ball is his skill off of it. A willing and aggressive defender, Daka leads Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch’s high-pressing system, a task which the Zambian undergoes with gusto. His workrate, stamina, natural fitness, and determination should all be applauded. He’s also one of the most fouled players in the Salzburg squad, a tribute to his lightning-quick pace and reflexes.</p>
<p>That’s not to say there aren’t issues. His first touch can be loose, and while he usually has the speed to make it up, holdup play is not a particular strength of his. He also could serve to work on his positioning, as he has a penchant to stray offsides during extended spells of possession. He’s naturally athletic, but can get his feet tangled while under pressure. However, at only 21, those wrinkles can be ironed out, and Daka is a fantastic prospect for the future.</p>
<p>Onto the second scenario, which is slightly more palatable, but only slightly.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Scenario 2 - Losing our talisman </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-99395" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1203767353.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1203767353.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1203767353-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>Aubameyang goes, Lacazette and Nketiah stay</h4>
<p>This prospect is also slightly scary, because Arsenal’s reliance on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang just isn’t lessening the way we need it to. Lacazette is just starting to creep back up the ranks, but it’s a slow climb. He and Nketiah simply cannot match Auba’s goal production, and that’s a serious issue.</p>
<p>So what do we need to replace Aubameyang? A proven goalscorer, with the flexibility to play winger and striker, somebody who has the ability to change a game on the spot, and somebody with a solid defensive workrate. Quite the checklist, and an expensive one too.</p>
<p>I don’t predict we’ll get more than £40-50 million for Aubameyang, so this will require some serious research. And while I’d love to cite Gabriel Martinelli here too, I think the young Brazilian’s technical skills and end product need a bit of work.</p>
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<p>The first option available is <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/6f8cd6d0/Marcus-Thuram">Marcus Thuram</a> of Borussia Monchengladbach, and he’s very much a like-for-like replacement for Aubameyang. Son of legendary defender Lillian Thuram, he deploys at left-wing or striker most games for Gladbach, but finds himself in the goals wherever he plays—with 14 goals and 9 assists in 39 appearances this season, the former French Ligue 2 player has been a smashing success.</p>
<p>In many ways, he’s similar to Aubameyang. He loves to drive at defenders, cause problems, and cut inside from the flank, unleashing powerful right-footed shots that often arrow into the bottom corner. He’s also one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga, and his aggressive style will be perfectly suited to the Premier League. And while he’s not lightning-quick, his long-striding turn of speed is nothing to scoff at.</p>
<p>He doesn’t quite have Aubameyang’s magnificent goal tallies, but he’s an incredible asset in possession. A powerful 6’3″, he’s a master of the aerial duel, an area where Arsenal are noticeably weak. His knock-downs and holdup play are nothing short of spectacular, and he’s a major threat from a cross, a perfect target for the whipped crosses of Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/_BDbLhCC0fU?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>And furthermore, he’s a far more involved player than Aubameyang. He’ll defend willingly, with a penchant for a biting tackle to start a counter, and he’s a key member of the Gladbach possession scheme, not just the recipient of the final ball, as Aubameyang so often is. He’s determined, hard working, and never stops running.</p>
<p>And at only 22, the sky is the limit for Marcus Thuram. With a market value around £35 million, the sale of Aubameyang will more than cover his fee. He’s an amazing option, and reportedly isn’t being scouted by other clubs.</p>
<p>The second player—and I’m going out on a limb here, but he is the perfect replacement—is <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/8f696594/Memphis-Depay">Memphis Depay</a>. He’s an ideal hybrid between a left-winger and a striker, and his records prove it. He has 5 goals in 5 UCL games this season, and 9 in 12 league starts. That’s an average of a goal contribution every 102 minutes.</p>
<p>Memphis has had a spell in the league before, with a rather <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015–16_Manchester_United_F.C._season">paltry Manchester United sid</a>e. Since then, he has grown as a player and a person, and is ready to make the jump back up into the hardest league in the world. He has augmented the prodigious dribbling skill and technical shooting that we saw during his term in Manchester with hard work, an expert eye for a key pass, and a penchant for getting stuck into matches, bouncing back when things don’t go his way.</p>
<p>The 26-year-old is a right-footed left-winger cum center-forward in the prime of his career. He’s flexible and versatile, and with a half-decade of good years ahead him, we’d be signing him at the peak of his powers. And that’s just Depay on paper.</p>
<p>He’s a dribbling specialist, with the skills to pay the bills. Unlike our Ivorian on the other wing, he has developed a prodigious workrate, and while his defensive inclinations aren’t the strongest, he doesn’t dive into tackles, instead using his composure and vision to cut passing lanes and start counter attacks.</p>
<p>Best of all, where he loses out to Aubameyang in goals scored he makes up in key passes and chance creation. He plays an average of 2.1 key passes per game, along with 1 cross and 1.2 successful long balls. He’s only dispossessed 1.7 times per game, and rarely takes a touch wrong. And oddly enough for an attacking player, he’s tackled more players than have dribbled past him, an inclination of his defensive ability.</p>
<p>The only downside would be the price—I estimate he would cost between £50 and £60 million, but I am confident that selling Aubameyang would raise the necessary funds, and it would be worth it for somebody like Memphis.</p>
<p>On to the next alternative, and the one that looks the most likely</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Scenario 3 - The most likely </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-97443" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1196516298.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1196516298.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1196516298-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>Lacazette goes, Aubameyang and Nketiah stay</h4>
<p>With Lacazette in fine form of late, and Juventus reportedly interested, now might be the best time to cash in on our hot-and-cold Frenchman. Lacazette is one of a number of players understood to be on offer in order to raise funds for Arsenal’s summer spending.</p>
<p>With his contract talks stalling, and an even heftier wage going to Aubameyang, if the Gabon international has his way, there might not be room for Lacazette at the club, especially as Arsenal needs greater goal production from him, something he has not been able to accomplish while at the club. So sell Laca it is.</p>
<div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="232" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" allow="encrypted-media" title="Spotify Embed: Season 3; Episode 25 -- Mikel Arteta has won the war" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/14A946KomeM7jzFeBKUHX8?si=qWLQ0hYcREesB9Er5BhtEw%22>
<p>However, Aubameyang will either be out of contract in a year’s time, or signed up until he’s 34. Either way, he will leave Arsenal not at peak power, and we need to find a replacement for Lacazette to fill in the gaps.</p>
<p>Again, it’s a hefty ask. Somebody good with his back to goal, strong and resilient, who can fight and scrap and draw fouls, and both score and assist. That type of player doesn’t come without a price. More than that, we need consistency. And as sorry as I am to say, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=odsonne+edouard%22>Odsonne Edouard</a> is not that man. The Frenchman is good, but we need the best.</p>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/fed7cb61/Kai-Havertz">Kai Havertz</a> would be the dream, but that’s a near-impossible ask. The purchase of a new striker will have to come with the money garnered from the sale of Lacazette, which won’t be enough for a player touted to win the Ballon d’Or sometime in the not-so-distant future. Furthermore, with the bidding war currently surrounding him—6 clubs are reported to be interested, all with deeper pockets than the Gunners—the fee for him will be astronomical.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="5 underrated EPL transfer targets" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/13/arsenal-5-underrated-epl-transfer/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/13/arsenal-5-underrated-epl-transfer/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> 5 underrated EPL transfer targets </a> </div>
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<p>The first prospect I have in mind is one <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/07802f7f/Danny-Ings">Danny Ings</a>, currently plying his trade at Southampton. Although he is an out-and-out striker, he possesses a very similar skillset to Lacazette, with a couple of added bonuses. He’s almost three years younger—the same age as <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=thomas+partey%22>Thomas Partey</a>—and he’s much quicker off the mark than the Frenchman, and his positioning is just as lethal.</p>
<p>Furthermore, he’s got a good track record in the Premier League with Southampton, after a failed spell with Liverpool. He’s a willing defender, and an excellent holdup player—his passing in tight spaces has proven key to Southampton’s attacking success this season, not to mention his team-leading 21 goals, currently one above Auba’s league total. Ings and Aubameyang as a combination up top would be entirely lethal, and the Englishman will be able to cover for Auba as he ages.</p>
<p>Signed from Liverpool for £20 million, he would likely cost around £35 million at the most, which, for a striker of his quality would be a steal, and free up funds for more work on the midfield and defense. It’s a good deal all around.</p>
<p>Signing Ings would make space for <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=bukayo+saka%22>Bukayo Saka</a> and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=gabriel+martinelli%22>Gabriel Martinelli</a> on the left, a delicious prospect that would allow Arsenal to make the most out of two young talents currently competing for substitute chances and utility player roles. The only concern with Ings would be too much competition with Lacazette, not to mention Nketiah, for the same number 9 role.</p>
<p>The second prospect also hails from the Premier League, although from the West, not the South Coast. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/59e6e5bf/Dominic-Calvert-Lewin">Dominic Calvert-Lewin</a> of Everton is the ultimate Alexandre Lacazette replacement, because he does everything the Frenchman can do, and some things better.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/FX5ei6FcmD4?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Calvert-Lewin, like Lacazette, is the complete package at striker. Adept at dropping deep and linking up play when need be, a fantastic holdup player and a proven goalscorer—13 tallies on the season—he matches six feet of strength, power, and skill with his back to goal, with a wicked sense of positioning and quite a burst of pace.</p>
<p>Skilled with a strike partner or as the lead man of a front three, Calvert-Lewin has formed a partnership with <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://fbref.com/en/players/fa031b34/Richarlison">Richarlison not unlike Aubameyang and Lacazette. Under <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=carlo+ancelotti%22>Carlo Ancelloti</a>, the Englishman has been nothing short of brilliant, finding a rich vein of form before and after the restart. Unlike the Frenchman, however, Calvert-Lewin doesn’t have the crippling confidence monster waiting to pounce. Even in Everton’s worst games, he is constantly running, harrying, and working to regain the ball and move up the field. Bad body language doesn’t seem to be in his nature.</p>
<div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="232" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" allow="encrypted-media" title="Spotify Embed: Season 3; Episode 24 -- Positives despite frustration" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/22/arsenal-solution-striker-situation/"https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/20zXBXecIEldxZ4hsaq9yS?si=971PrPPQSauDPkqqbEnTQA%22>
