Despite Arsenal’s successful season under Mikel Arteta, which saw us win our first Premier League title in 22 years, it is still evident that we need an out-and-out striker.
Last season, we acquired Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting CP in a deal worth £63.5 million. He went on to become our top goalscorer with 20 goals in all competitions. While that was not a bad return at all, we cannot expect him to carry the side alone next season. There were initial doubts over whether he could deliver for the Gunners and, although he has largely proved his doubters wrong, there are still areas for improvement as Arsenal prepare to wear the golden Premier League lions on their sleeves.
Although he found the back of the net 14 times in the league, his first touch needs finer tuning. Statistics show he lost possession nearly half the time he had the ball. In tight games, a sharp first touch can be the difference between a legendary goalscorer and a missed opportunity, especially when in clear range of goal.
Gyökeres Still Has Room To Improve
Furthermore, injuries did not help the “Super Swede” during the winter months. This clearly affected his overall output, as he lacked the sharpness and off-the-ball movement that usually define his game, though he thankfully regained this form once he recovered.
Even though he has steadily adapted to Arteta’s tactics, Gyökeres still looks out of place at times during our final-third build-up and occasionally lacks confidence on the ball. At Sporting, he was used to direct balls being played into him at speed. By contrast, he often finds himself stuck between opposing defenders in our heavily possession-based style of play.
Arsenal need an adaptable attacker to partner with Gyökeres so the two can bounce off one another, combining their talents to guarantee a high volume of goals. This mirrors the classic 4-4-2 formation that Arsène Wenger used so successfully with the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. I am not suggesting Arteta should completely copy Wenger’s tactics, but those principles certainly improved our attacking fluidity and created greater width on the wings and upfront, something we occasionally lack right now.
Arsenal Need More Firepower Up Front
If we could sign a confident striker like Julián Álvarez, or even Hugo Ekitiké, who is known for the creative flair that could unlock Gyökeres, we could boast one of the best attacks in Premier League history once again. We have a great squad, but we currently lack a reliable, multi-dimensional attacking unit up front. In a worst-case scenario, we at least need a high-quality backup for Gyökeres if he gets injured again, so we are not forced to rely on Mikel Merino to score goals from midfield.
My ultimate concern is that if Arteta does not experiment with a more direct approach in our attacking movements, Gyökeres will struggle to cement a permanent role in the starting XI. This issue was highlighted during the Champions League final, where he was benched. He, along with the rest of the Arsenal squad, found it incredibly challenging to break down a heavily defensive PSG side that ultimately retained their European crown.
What do you think, Gooners? Do Arsenal need another elite attacker to complement Gyökeres, or can the Swedish striker lead the line successfully on his own next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Liam Harding
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So PSG played as a heavily defensive side. The ultras must have been furious that the entertaining goal fest with their superior attack didn’t continue (for some reason, lol).
Generally agree with this. Moving to a 4-4-2 is kind of a shorthand and more nominal than real though, since the game has become more about relational play rather than traditional positional play. For example, if you stuck a Morgan Rogers type player in with Gyok or Havertz, it would seem that way, since he’s as much an inside forward as an attacking midfielder. And if you stuck an Eli Junior Kroupi in there instead of Ødegaard/Eze, it would literally look 4-4-2 but he’d actually have to track back more and play a sort of hybrid AM role as well as we have to work our way around low blocks.
if Havertz can improve his finishing I would´nt care who
scores the goals him or Viktor. Kai is a clever footballer
and V will get better in his second season. But I trust the
club to find and come up with a soulution that gives us
more edge in attack..Players like Eze and Noni must improve as well. Personally I would like Monga or Leao too
join. And this Mbemba guy? Our defence will need cover at some stage
Another striker to assist on gyokeres