Could Akpom be Arsenal’s main striker against Liverpool?

Akpom to start for Arsenal on the opening day?

I knew Arsenal’s current striker situation was bad, in that we still haven’t come any closer to signing a potential forward, however the latest understanding will send even more shivers down your spine.

The Independent writes how currently Chuba Akpom is the favourite to start for Arsenal upfront on the opening weekend of the Premier League. As the paper points out, Akpom is our only recognised fully fit striker at the club (although I disagree) and so they believe it is quite likely he will at least feature in some capacity against Liverpool.

The report recognises how Arsenal are without long term absentee Danny Welbeck, whilst Olivier Giroud has been granted an extended three week holiday, until the middle of August. This means that he won’t be fully fit to face Liverpool when the new Premier League season kicks off.

Without signing a new experienced face upfront, it leaves the Gunners with Akpom, Sanogo and new signing Takuma Asano to play the all important role against a tough opposition. Whilst the Independent may feel that Akpom is the most likely to feature, I personally think Wenger would start with Walcott or Sanchez up front if Giroud is not fully fit. After those options I think Sanogo would be next on the list, given his experience with Arsenal, followed by Akpom and Asano, although there remains some confusion as to when Asano will actually join up with the Gunners.

If Arsenal truly have to kick the season off against Liverpool with one of the youth players up front, then it shows a very sorry looking Arsenal state. We deserve more as fans and the club expects more than the likes of Akpom, Sanogo or Asano to lead the line against Liverpool.

It’s times like these that no matter how much Giroud frustrates you, you desperately hope he’s fit for the Liverpool game instead of seeing Walcott etc leading the frontline.

By AH

38 Comments

      1. If you honestly think there aren’t three REALISTIC striker options that would improve the squad over Akpom, Theo and Sanogo currently… I just… I can’t even!!!

        1. LOL…Arsenal are just repeating what’s been happening at the club.
          Recipe for disaster.
          Oh to be a Gooner.

      2. Hi Arsene!!

        so among those who are already transferred: ibra, jansen, batshuyai, nolito
        among others: icardi, higuain

        but i get it, no one in the list is a top top top player

      3. Higuain (Napoli will sell if the price is nice)
        Lacazette (wouldn’t turn Arsenal down)
        Alcacer (he has been tracked by Arsenal for a while Spanish international 22 years old as good as Lacazette,iCardi,lukaku etc,and Valencia finished 10th, they also want campbell)
        Fekir (is very technical and is key to Lacazette scoring form can play with or back up og)
        Milik (outshines lewi at euros, has a complete skill set for a striker,prolific )
        Ntep (wenger can groom this lad into being world class he is currently at lens and is an highly rated French player who can play across the front line)

        1. there are three types of clubs around,
          1. the MANUs and REALs and BAYERNs of the world who identify top players and pay top dollar to get them

          2. the ATLETIs and DORTMUNDs who unearths gems and get away with small transfer fees

          3. THE ARSENAL where our coach targets top top top player and offers bottom bottom bottom dollar and after few years comes out with statements that he could have bought ronaldos and messis

            1. No offence Dennis, but how people thumbed that up I don’t know whats going on. To throw every club into a category of three, Real, Atletico, and Arsenal. Wrong on so many levels.

  1. Sometimes Wenger waits and waits until the end and doesn’t get anybody
    Last season he got cech and we waited all summer and instead of getting a DM and striker we badly needed he gave Walcott a huge salary and made him a striker

    sometimes Wenger waits till the final day of the transfer window and gets players like Ozil, Welbeck, Arteta, Mertsacker, Santos, Eisfield last minute

    so definitely its possible but i expect Theo to be up front if Giroud isn’t playing or Alexis

    1. it doesnt work, get players in for pre season, bed them in to the team so start of season they ready.
      we got ozil last minute..did we? deal took months to organise

      doesnt work..u know what does….crack….anyone seen my pipe

  2. looks like higuian is going to juventus
    akpom it is.

    wenger is like tony montana -the world is yours

  3. Sky Italia…. Juve closing in on Higuain. And others reports saying they’re willing to pay Napoli’s asking price. Seriously… we’re losing out to Juve? They hardly ever spend big money on players, yet even they’re willing to do it this time. Things are seriously messed up at our club. Why does Arsene waste so many people’s time with nonsense… Hoping this is his last season. I can’t take another summer of this garbage. Akpom to start against Liverpool seems like such an Arsenal thing to occur.

    1. Could be a blessing for us… Juve have simply waaaaaay too many classy CB’s on the books. They’ve already lashed out on Pjanic.. Higuain would surely cause them to need to balance their books a little. If it’s not Pogba they sell, I’d take pretty much any of their CB’s in a heartbeat.
      I’ve always rated Super Mario as well!

      1. You rated Super Mario? Too bad, I think if none of Italian sides interesting on him, he could be end up his career at China League. Well, the motto of : low football high money, is suit to Balotelli way of live. Have a nice day…hahaha…

    2. Arsenal definitely are richer than Juve, but their owners are lot more crazier. Activated 78M pounds release clause for Higuain? What more can we said? Even CR7 not worth that much when he moved to ManUre.

      1. if you ignore inflation then yeah, he’s more than Ronaldo. Market is very different from when Ronaldo moved. Don’t be surprised to see several 100mill transfers over the next 5 years.

  4. Never fear Sanogo is here. He’s like a new signing and I believe the players we have are good enough to win the league. Never mind that Akpom and Sanogo were subs in the championship last season true supporters should get behind the players we have and leave messing about in the transfer market to lesser clubs. Expect more of this sort of garbage to come out of the club in the near future. You couldn’t make it up if it didn’t happen every year.

  5. Joke of a manager. Saying, I don’t want to sign too many players as it affects the balance of the team. Correct me if I’m wrong, But affecting the balance of a team that struggled to score goals season would be a positive thing right? As per usual we are linked to every player out there. But Arsene is doing his usual trick. *uck all

    1. @sam-afc
      Exactly…What balance doesn’t he want to effect – the balance of a team always finishing about 10 points behind the eventual champions.

  6. someone just taunted me that our reserve money is being kept by Goblins in a safe deposit in a bank guarded by fire breathing dragons and all it needs is wenger’s magic wand which he lost it 12years ago.lol

  7. Great strikers are not essential.
    Great defenders are not essential.
    Goal scorers are essential.
    Great defense is essential.
    Leicester had no star players but they
    crushed the teams packed with stars.
    Vardy Mahrez Ulloa valued at half the price
    of Wellbeck did the business up front.
    Morgan Huth Fuchs Simpson Kante Drinkwater
    valued at half the price of Debuchy were brilliant.
    The Arsenal squad is valued at 500% more than Leicester.
    On paper Arsenal already has the strongest squad in the league.
    It’s up to the manager to turn Walcott Chamberlain Campbell Akpom
    Sanogo Asano into the most dynamic goal scoring machine in the EPL.
    Wilshere Ramsey Elneny into midfield geniuses
    Jenkinson Chambers Gabriel Gibbs the best back four in the land.

    1. ur wrong.

      but your bi polar so i like u…i also dislike u…wait..maybe..i’m…nah

      keep it coming u man bear you

    2. Unfortunately, I think most of these players are already very good. I think most of them will all be at their best in certain systems or in certain roles that Arsene will not use them in. He chooses his best XI, tweaks the tactics to fit his system to those players, and any one that comes in for a player has to play the exact role in the exact way the previous player did. That’s why Walcott is asked to play as a hold up striker, Ox is supposed to play off the shoulder of defenders, Podolski had to cover for Gibbs and rarely get in the box, Arteta had to cover the counter attack and pass sideways, and Gabriel has to be a slow, awkward white guy with great positioning.

      Arsene constantly asks players to play in a position or in a way that they are not comfortable with. Sometimes a player grows from it, but usually players suffer a drop in form and are dropped for someone else that can’t really play the position right. It’s always been my biggest criticsm of Arsene: he won’t fully adjust his tactics to the players he has available, and neither will he get the players to fully fit the system he wants to play.

      Should the guys you mention win the league? No. But I think under the right management they could easily fill in for guys in the first team when needed. I have lost a lot of faith in Wenger to be that person with his lineup choices and tactics over the past few years.

    3. WTF are you talking about David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      Who was the last successful team without great defenders??!!??

      1. Leicester city had a bunch
        of nobodies in defense
        yet won the league.
        Its defense in the wider
        context rather than the individual players.

  8. Probably at least until he gets injured in pre season! @goonsqaud. There are loads of Pl proven strikers I’d take a punt at over walcott: chicarito, shane long, Connor Wickham, Leonardo ujoa, ighalo etc etc if we were going for vardy we could be going for these and more.

    1. i actually think Connor Wickham and Shane Long are ample replacement for Welbeck, both are Journey man in regards to the league, still fairly young, both have good pace, can play the wide role/forward and would not be expensive.

      There is also a player i have not heard anyone mention in regards to the wide player / forward role, i am speaking of Afobe , who is a very good goal scorer even if most came from a lower league. I actually think its a great opportunity to show that he is an improved striker.

  9. Wenger-style signings so many are there on market who are good, and can be excellent. Each year we cant spend 70M on new strikers, so if he is not willing for a top dog, get 2 from here and make them compete!!!

    Arkadiusz Milik
    Gabigol
    Hakan Calhanoglu
    Hirving Lozano
    Marlos Moreno
    Breel Embolo

    1. That Gabigol lad, along with fellow Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, look like they could be big shots.

      But we will never sign them. Why? Because Arsenal FC can’t get the VISA for them, while every other club can.

  10. And? Assuming we don’t buy another striker, Welbeck is out, Giroud is out, I think Asano will probably not get a work permit this year. That leaves Walcott, Akpom, and Sanogo.

    Unless Arsene feels like Akpom or Sanogo are ready, it will likely be Walcott.

    I fail to see this as a huge step backwards from Giroud. Sorry.

  11. In all seriousness. I would rather go with Asano up front than go with Akpom or Sanogo. Asano, I recently seen him use his pace to good effect and score two good goals. They then showed a clip of him missing in his last game, they said look away Arsenal fans, but rather than being disappointed, I liked that he went for the dink over the keeper, even the best can hit the crossbar ..unlucky. It showed he might have a bit about him, with his last two games. He looks to be strong on the counter attack, which is weird because we bid for Vardy but then end up with a counter attack player anyway. I know the opposition is questionable, but it is against the keeper I wanted to have a look, he looks to try the right effort.

    Akpom, I believe is lacking too much with his shooting capabilities. I doubt that he will ever improve enough in this area to play for Arsenal. Great physique, the pace, the leap, but he is just not nearly composed enough in final third. Sanogo should be gone, simple as that.

    That’s what I mean about Asano, he looked composed in the final third. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he turned out to be a great little talent.

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