Arsenal need to find another Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Too often a team becomes over-reliant on a single player that ends up costing them in the long run. That is a situation Arsenal find themselves in with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
So far this season Aubameyang has saved Arsenal on numerous occasions, he scored the winners against Newcastle, Burnley and Aston Villa, the equaliser against Tottenham and Man Utd and both goals in the draw with Watford.
That is 12 points that the Gabon international has been directly involved in. How many points Arsenal would have attained without him is anyone’s guess.
You could argue that Arsenal has enough back up with Lacazette, Pepe, Saka and Martinelli but can they replicate the contribution that Auba provides? I do not think so.
When Man City lose Aguero they have consistent scorers in abundance, Tottenham has Son when they lose Kane, Liverpool has Mane and Salah as backup scorers for each other and so on.
Arsenal does not have that sort of prolificacy in reserve. Yes, Lacazette is a top-class player but he is not a goalscorer in the mould of Auba.
When Kane got injured last season for Tottenham, Son and others stepped up and the England captain was hardly missed. Would that apply at Arsenal? The evidence suggests no.
Arsenal needs a natural goalscorer that can step into Auba’s shoes in the event he is injured or suspended. Martinelli may be the ideal candidate but he needs game time. Saka could possibly be the answer but he also needs game time. Maybe Pepe will come good and be that man but right now, Arsenal simply are over-reliant on one player and that has to be resolved.