Noel Whelan has claimed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a step up on supposed Arsenal target Ollie Watkins.
The Gunners allowed Auba to leave the club and join Barcelona in the winter window, with no replacement brought in, and they are now expected to prioritise a new striker in the coming window.
While we are linked with a number of options, former PL boss Noel Whelan has discussed whether supposed Arsenal target Watkins could fill the void left by the Gabon international.
“Aubameyang is a massive name, and he’s firing them in for Barcelona right now,” Whelan told FootballInsider247.
“Is Watkins the type of player who can come in and have that same impact? I’m not so sure, I think Aubameyang is just that grade ahead when in form.
“But he’s young, and he’s got talent. There’s nothing to say that he can’t step into those shoes in the future.
“If he’s willing to go and Arsenal are willing to pay, it’s clear from what we know about their recent signings they are looking for youth and longevity. He’s relatively young but he’s already got that international recognition with England.
“It’s not the worst signing that they could make. We’ve seen him do it for Villa and his work rate is really good.
“It’s just the end product that hasn’t quite been consistent enough just yet.
“Maybe Arsenal are seeing something that they can turn around. If they can then he could be the main man upfront for them.”
I can’t say I’m completely sold on Watkins either, although I don’t think he has hit his ceiling as of yet either, and our young and exuberant side could well help him to hit those heights.
I can’t say I’m completely sold on any of our strongly-linked targets to be honest, with Jonathon David probably the best of the lot.
Who do you think is the best option to lead our line next term?
Patrick
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Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Man U and Man City have no dominating striker right now. David, Isac, Calvert Lewin or Watkins are likey to cost 60+mill and 40mill salary over 4 years = 100 mill and probably score no more than Nketiah or Balogun and leave on a free. We need to get away from the myth of the 70mill 25 goal a season striker. As it is our top scorers are midfielders and wingers. Might as well evolve the free Azeez, Patino and Kiddo Taylor rather than throw yet another hopeful 70m at the issue.
I’m quite hopeful about balogun now – he used to look stiff in his first team games, which suggests he may have been struggling to rise to the occasion, but he’s looked looser in his movements and generally sharper in the recent clips I’ve seen of him at boro – wouldn’t be surprised if he starts scoring soon, then we’ll have a player
I don’t rate him that much.we should just splash 50 million on broja i bet we won’t regret it
“Auba a step up?” Seems to me all he did for his last eighteen months was “step down”(and COMPLETELY too) from his former usefulness.
LETS NOT FOOL OURSELVES, HE WAS NOT PREPARED TO WORK, OR SHOW DISCIPLINE AND THOUGHT HE WAS BIGGER THAN THE CLUB. No sensible manager had any viable alternative than to get him out . Applause MA for doing so and thus leaving us with a passionate dressing room, bar no player at all.
I say good riddance to Auba!
Auba on his day (and he had quite a few of those before last season) is a better goalscorer than Watkins is now but I’m not sure he is a better all round centre forward, however it’s a fairly pointless comparison anyway because Auba isn’t coming back whilst it is possible that we could try to get Watkins in the summer
Arteta persevered with Auba for a long time, he had a terrible run within the first half of last season and never really recovered from that, whether he found it hard to adapt to Arteta’s style of play and/or different players around him we don’t know but Arteta kept picking him hoping he would click again
I thought that he could put that poor season behind him and come back fresh and strong this season, he didn’t, if anything he was worse but Mikel still kept picking him up until his last game at Old Trafford early December, he came on as sub in the next game against Everton missed a good late chance to nick the draw and didn’t even make the bench for the next game
We then scored 14 goals without him, winning every League game until the end of the year
I still hoped he would come back after AFCON and finish the season but that wasn’t to be
If Auba didn’t score he didn’t bring much else to the team and now that he’s gone we need a goalscorer who can also play an overall part in a match, Watkins fits that profile of player
I would throw Bamford into the conversation and if Laca goes I would have a look at Mitrovic as well in the summer
But I was sorry to see Auba go, particularly the way he did, it was an unfitting finish to a good Arsenal career
The worst thing with auba was that he seemed to be sulking when things weren’t going his way. His link play has never been the best, but it’s much better when he’s scoring goals and interested.
Laca has shown how to play when recently dropped or off form – he scored plenty of goals at lyon, and its never really worked out at arsenal, but he’s never really sulked, always put in a real shift, and generally helped the team in other ways.
I wouldn’t go for Watkins now, he’s 26 and not a big goalscorer. I think he’d be an expensive welbeck.
I’d love to have him in the squad, but our main striker needs to be someone who can score goals as well as work hard and link the play, and I don’t think Watkins is that man.
I would prefer we prioritize the midfield first, get Nkunku and any other b2b midfielder and then add a not too expensive CF, this way goals can come from all directions with less pressure on the CF.
Get a Lewandoski for 2/3yrs considering his age & his situation at Bayern Munich, hopefully we get Top 4 finish come May. He has all Mikel Arteta needs in a striker & go all out aiming to win the EPL & UCL next season.
Lewandowski isn’t the worst shout I’ve read Namdy. why not, even if it’s only for a season, I can see it as a possibility
Watkins is the man.
No question, he is a great number 9
Anyone with eyes and half a brain can see Watkins couldn’t lace up Aubas boots. There class and there is lower class!!!!!!!!