Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired in his fifth goal in three matches for Barcelona with the opener today, but his form could well help his former side Arsenal.
The Gunners are believed to be prioritising a big-name striker to come in and lead the line for the new season, with their only senior strikers in their squad at present both out of contract come the summer.
While they tried their hand at signing Dusan Vlahovic in January, they lost out to Juventus, and are now believed to be eyeing a move to sign Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak instead, a player also linked with Barcelona.
Their need for a new striker may well be null and void however if Aubameyang can continue impressive run in front of goal after he netted his fifth goal since joining them on a free transfer at the start of the month.
His revival since joining up with the Spanish giants could well help us after all. Not only will the saving from his previous wage in north London be a boost to our finances as we look to strengthen, but his form for Barca could see them opt out of splashing out on singing Isak.
The Sociedad forward has his own form to rectify before any club could justify paying his supposed asking price however, but he has already shown that he has immense ability, and this could be his chance to show that he has the mentality to overcome struggles also.
Patrick
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we should forget about pursuing Isak and go after that Auba kid who’s tearing it up for Barca in recent weeks
If Arteta was serious early on Auba should’ve been benched earlier in the season. I always reiterated the fact that playing players who don’t fit his style would be our downfall but luckily other teams have proved inconsistent so there is no excuse to not finish in top 4. He’s a great goalscorer but him being limited means he must score consistently to account for his shortcomings which he couldn’t do.
so you’re suggesting that even MA didn’t understand his own “system” and whom might best fit his particular style of play???
I’m imping he shouldn’t have played him just because he was the captain or a senior figure. Think about it like his delay in the use of ESR and then Martinelli at a point in time when it was long overdue. He was indecisive earlier but now with a great chance to finish in the top 4 there will be no excuses for him come the end of the season.
*implying
he not only played him, he convinced him to sign an incredibly lucrative 3 term deal…surely he must have known what would and wouldn’t work within in own tactical setup…not to mention the fact that the other alternative, who better fits the script you provided, certainly hasn’t been a revelation playing within this very limited tactical scheme
as for ESR and Marts, he only played them when there were no other viable options due to injuries, covid or excommunication orders of his choosing…even so, there’s no guarantee that either of these players will be within the starting 11 moving forward, as we’ve already seen ESR take a back seat to Ode, and we’re not even sure if MA truly rates Marts
Of course at the time of the contract Auba was scoring and operating more as an inverted winger which is where Arteta should’ve played him more. At the time it seemed like he deserved it but it’s Arteta’s fault for persisting with him as a CF. Laca is just on borrowed time though deep down I know Nketiah would perform better and score more goals if given as many chances. The Marts and ESR issues were also on him. He was so indecisive but this is why I said we have a good chance to finish in top 4 so there will be no excuses if we don’t.
so much to unpack, so little time…btw being indecisive with several options available and/or feigning decisiveness when the cupboards are bare aren’t praise-worthy traits for any present or future managerial candidate
For me I’m not overrating him or underrating him. It is Arsenal first before any coach or player and I’ve been consistent in my views of him. Come the end of season we will see where we finish and also consider how we did it.
that seems fair
What Auba is doing at Barcelona is barely a revival. He’s still the same player with just a loss of a bit of sharpness due to age and still limited. As I’ve always said what helps him is his excellent positioning and the way he plays is stats inclined thus you may not get a complete performance. The only difference is he didn’t fit Arteta’s style of play as a CF which is why even when he scored more under Arteta it was as a LW. Arteta probably wants someone who can combine with midfield and all rounder which is probably why there’s the news about Isak and Jonathan David.
Does ANY CF fit into the way we play?
People have been trying to say we haven’t a striker this season DOH! We sold Auba (gave him away) we have Lacca and Nketiah. 3 strikers, 2 of whom are/were goal machines. Speaking of goal machines PEPE. A serious question, Is it the strikers or the way we play?
An all rounder of a CF would fit his style. This is not me being an Arteta propagandist or anything but rather just being honest with the situation. If Arteta wanted to play him he should’ve been played as an inverted winger. The overplaying of Auba is part of the reason why we are here when he should’ve benched him long ago yet still persisted with him. Nketiah would’ve outscored both Laca and Auba had he had the same chances this season. To be fair to Pepe he should’ve had his own chances and people are at their own free will to question Arteta’s man management.
I just dont think any striker would be prolific the way we play. Chances are not created for “strikers” to score from. We dont open teams up and give a platform for a “striker” the way we play. Lacca cant play the way he does and be expected to score 20+ goals a season. Auba couldn’t play in the system and expect to score 20+ a season. And goal poacher Nketiah cant play as a goal poacher because we dont have a system that allows him to do that. I dont think Levandoski would get that many goals playing how we do. The way we play we need all our players to chip in with goals because situations dont favour conditions where people find themselves in goalscoring positions that often. So when they do, they have to score. Problem is we dont possess natural goalscorers in this team just solid performers.
I’ve admitted here in the past that the pressure is on our wingers to score and not Laca. The thing is we have more ”chance creators” than goalscorers. Lacazette has been operating like Firminho and not a natural striker. This is shown in the spaces he occupies. Compare him now to his style under Wenger. I disagree with Nketiah as I believe he is a young combo of the qualities of Laca and Auba and not just a poacher. There are questions to be asked in this team and that is if the likes of ESR, Martinelli and co are considered consistently productive players that the team should be built around them because they must come up with goals consistenlty.
👍 I agree with your assessment, Reggie.
Come now, Nketiah outscore Laca and Auba? Based on what? 2 years have shown Nketiah clearly not up to the job.
Nketiah is not even an adequate backup as 2 years have shown. To suggest he could not only replace but supercede 2 experienced strikers is just folly.
Support is one thing, delusion is another. Take the red pill my friend and choose reality.
Please that is your opinion and I respect it so learn to respect mine. I am not deluded. I judge players based on what I see from the eye test. Nketiah is judged harshly and unfairly by many while not being given many chances. He has more potential than Laca and Auba ever did and in the right team he will prove it. He has a natural goalscoring ability evident in his movement and instinct and actually has footwork. In the right team he will score like he does for the younger age group. He is even more talented than Willock who also has natural goalscoring ability.
“He has more potential than Laca and Auba ever did”…now that’s just straight up bonkers sh**….methinks it’s time to see a qualified optometrist
Always amazed by how others judge players. Are we actually watching the same games or living in parallel universes, Kev.
Its cool man. If for nothing I can say with 100% confidence that he will be a bette striker than Lacazette. I may look stupid to a lot but just like with other players in this Arsenal team I will be proven rigt with him. I look at a player’s individual overall game devoid of sentiments and that is why Saliba is also better than all the Arsenal defenders
👍
Believe me I’m not dumb at all. He may useless to a lot of you but to me he has goalscoring talent and just needs the right team yo show it. The ability he had from the U23’s is still there and at times it cam be seen. He would’ve easily outscored Laca and Auba in the team this seaaon. He’s got the form but doesnt het thr mins to express it. If Willock most of y’all said was useless scored a lot inde Newcastle then Nketiah with far more potential will score more.
You’re very correct.
That Aubameyang overstayed his starter welcome in the first place was only to please the boisterous myopic fans. It is the same fans that were at the back of Pepe constantly gnawing him and the manager despite the fact that he was delivering the goals. Now they are blaming Arteta for benching.
Our fans are just a bunch of difficult people to deal with. Remember they preferred Viera to Arteta after we drew with Crystal Palace earlier. Now that Arteta has left Viera (as well as those other so called experienced managers) in his shadows, they’ve all gone quiet for the time being.
This is more the reason why if Arsenal dont finish in the top 4 it will be on Arteta. He was annoyingly selecting players who didnt deseve to play. Its now in the past and top 4 is more achievable than ever this season
Viera?CP spent just under 60M on 9 new players this summer,he is only few months into his job and his young team is not playing/ doing too badly.give him 3 years and over 200M then you can compare him to MA.
You have the right to your opinion, very true. However you can’t change facts. Nketiah has shown precious little in his time, despite plenty of opportunities.
To think his potential is higher than Auba? Seriously? Do you even know Auba’s career goal tally?
And you think Nketiah can score more than that? You base your opinion on “hope” not the facts in front of you.
Usually your posts are enlightening and full of comments to think on. Your Nketiah comment is just daft, even with all the evidence and facts in front of you.
Nketiah will never come close to Auba’s level and achievements, not in this universe or any other.
If Nketiah is that good, why has he not been given a new deal and why is arsenal in the market for another CF when they have “world class ” Nketiah?
Sighs
Nketiah possesses a higher goalscoring talent than Balogun and Balogun is highly rated. The point being talent wise he posseses Auba’s poaching ability and a better overall individual game. He has also carried his goalscoring to senior level and though not enough it means there is something there in him but this isnt the right team for him. He’s got that Auba movememt and way better dribbling. All he needs is the right mindset like with the younger English sides and that is it.
Kev you keep moving the goalposts from your original argument, which clearly stated that you believed that Eddie had more potential than Auba ever did…your ramblings since that earlier post have completely changed that particular narrative, which is why one could rightfully question your credibility…I never said Eddie was trash, in fact I think he has some skills, but I don’t think he has the first touch or finishing skills required to be a top notch Striker in the PL, which is certainly no slight, as that’s an incredibly small group of elite players
I’m not moving the goalposts. The reply was actually to Durand and he is looking at the massive number of stats(goals) that Auba has amassed in his career and due to that he sees it as impossible for Nketiah to be better than him. My argument is stats don’t ell the whole story but the eye test definitely does. It can be seen that Nketiah posseses Auba’s poaching talent while having better footwork than Laca. The only issue is his game is less matured and with less game time he doesn’t develop more. He looked more in form during preseason and anytime he comes on it feels like he’ll get a chance or he’ll score. I have no problem with anyone calling Nketiah average or not good enough atm. My problem is the blatant denial that Nketiah has talent based on the statistical argument which lacks context because we don’t involve game time and the like. That pace, Auba like movement and footwork he possesses will see him score goals like he did for Arsenal and England U23’s when he finds himself in the right team. That style of play produces goals and no wonder he scored 5 in the Carabao with the same style. Walcott and Auba had that style and scored a lot. Nketiah has got hat too with better feet.
this smacks of some serious recency bias, especially as it pertains to your assessment of Auba, or maybe you just never watched him ply his trade in Dortmund…if Eddie’s ceiling were anywhere near that of Auba’s he would be starting here or somewhere else, as potential suitors would be lining up around the block with their respective wallets wide open…once again, I don’t have anything personal against Eddie, but minus a few rare glimpses, he’s been rather underwhelming when facing anyone of consequence…so the chances of me disregarding what my own eyes tell me, the overwhelming majority of the “experts” and the transfer market gurus, who have a 10M valuation on our young Striker, simply because you think otherwise is highly unlikely
I saw Auba at Dortmund and he’s always been a limited player. Despite his high number of goals I’ve never seen him to be world class because of how limited he is and my opinion of him has been consistent since he came here. The goals he scores covers up for his overall poor performance and thus when he doesn’t score he’s massively exposed. I look at the player’s overall individual game and not just stats and that is why before Pepe kicked a ball for us I predicted that he was never a world class talent because the player’s individual game balanced with stats is what determines class . Nketiah hasn’t got a lot of chances but he’s definitely shown enough for me to see he has that poacher’s natural instinct and ability to score goals like Auba has and that is evident in his movement in the box and the style in which he scores. Even Willock who been called useless managed to score a lot last season in his stint at Newcastle and Nketiah got far more scoring potential. His record with the England U23’s prove this and he’s actually been able to show glimpses of that at senior level. This suggests he isn’t a failed talent or in the category of those who were never good enough at senior level like Afobe or JET but rather a player who needs the right team and more chances. I still stand by my word that based on his early season form and even glimpses of cameos he would’ve outscored Laca and Auba had he gotten the same chances from the start of the season.
so you honestly feel that you’re better suited than his former manager, Klopp, whom I’ve quoted before in previous posts on JA, who spoke incredibly highly about Auba’s ability to be deployed both out wide and through the middle of the pitch, including with his back to goal at times, to assess the skillset of our former player…now that’s rich…btw, I’m not even sure why you’ve brought Willock into this discussion, as it adds nothing to the equation…it’s seems clear to me that you’ve got some sort of weird agenda where you’ve tied yourself, for whatever reason, to a player that few, if any, others see such present of future potentiality…like I keep saying, I have no personal axe to grind with Eddie and I hope that someday, somewhere he will find success up top, but I very much doubt that this will happen in the PL
I’m not saying I’m better suited than Klopp, I’m only giving my opinion from my eye test and for every season he’s been here I’ve proven right about him that he’s an extremely limited player with excellent movement and instincts. You can debate that if you want to but that is what I see from him when he was on the pitch for us and even at Dortmund. Aubameyang for the stats he has amassed in his career should’ve been seen as a legendary player but the issue is when most people watch him the only exciting thing about him is when he scores. His quality on the ball doesn’t give someone watching him that feel. He will only be remembered for his stats than the other parts of his game. I never said or implied that you had a problem with Nketiah btw and as I’ve said my problem is not with anyone not rating Nketiah.
like I said before, I believe you’re being too negatively impacted by recency bias, as Auba was left for dead in MA’s largely negative tactical script…so much so, I doubt that any Striker in the footballing world would have thrived under such conditions…I watched most every game he played at Dortmund so I beg to differ greatly with your “limited” assessment, but I’m certainly not hellbent on changing your opinion…to each his own, I guess…as for you supposedly being proven right around every corner, as it pertains to Auba, that neither makes sense nor matters, in the grand scheme of things…maybe that’s why you have continued to propagate the seemingly misguided notion of Eddie being an “elite” Striker, under the “right” conditions, as you seem rather consumed by the possibility of saying “I told you so” at some future date…good luck with that
Auba has always been a limited striker. Infact most of those who rate him highly would agree with me on that. His excellent positioning and instincts is what sees him score a lot of goals. He’ll be remembered for his goals and nothing special in his individual play or game. His mammoth stats prove he should be rated as legendary but the eye test says otherwise. Auba is not elite and neither have I said Nketiah had an elite talent. I never said you had any problem with Nketiah and I’ve said that my problem is not with people not rating Nketiah but rather the cheap criticisms against him without context. I’ve been proven right about many Arsenal players and didn’t say ” I told you so”. I look far beyond stats and consider the layers individual game. This is how I know Saliba is better than all our defenders despite never kicking a ball for us. Its not about the league. It’s about that individual game which is permanent. If we considered that Giroud wouldn’t have been an Arsenal player in the first place.
no need to beat a dead horse any further…I do agree with the very real possibility that Saliba might be our best defender, defensively-speaking, although I would like to see him in the PL before committing to that rather speculative proposition….I likewise concur with the Giroud “limited” analysis, in that I always felt that his style of play was incompatible with the other far more important players on the pitch, at least during the Sanchez years…I spoke on numerous occasions about that situation, but it didn’t get much traction at the time, as many were under the false impression that he was primarily going to be a cover option, which clearly wasn’t the case as those within the club hierarchy knew full-well that RVP was on his way out, or that we would invest in a more pacey option to supplement Giroud’s obvious deficiencies, which never came to pass…it would have been interesting if we had kept him when we acquired Auba as it would have provided us with some much-needed tactical flexibility, as Giroud has performed admirably as a “super sub” option since his departure
Yes but I’m committing myself and saying that Saliba is our best defender. It’s not because I’m jumping on his bandwagon or being a ”know it all” but because a player’s individual game is independent of league. That why is you can watch a player in another league tearing it up and be like ”nah he’s not good enough”. When I Iook at Saliba’s individual game it suggests he’s better than White and Gabriel. Giroud, Welbeck, Lucas Perez and the like shouldn’t have been signed in the first place. How could’ve a young person like me and others predicted all to not be good enough yet the experts in the club thought they were and actually failed?? Giroud was part for the reason why we underachieved under Wenger for like 6 years.
If you look at it that way then that is also bias because Nketiah has not gotten a lot of chances to prove himself at Arsenal but he has definitely shown enough potential to prove that he has natural goalscoring ability even higher than Balogun who is highly rated.
This season from preseason he showed he was on form and you could see that in the Carabao Cup too and even in his cameos.
Auba’s biggest quality in his career has been his movement and killer instinct and Nketiah possesses that as well as better footwork. He is only less matured in his game but in the right team he will surpass him and for Laca he’s already better than him. He possesses Auba’s poaching talent and better overall game. Nketiah isnt like Afobe, JET and the other overrated lot who flattered to deceive. He has carried his scoring to senior level but his head isnt in the right place.
Dont overrate the limited Auba and Laca.
Kev, i too dont think Nketiah is as good as some think but i do accept your opinion and he hasn’t been really tried in a suitable system, for any length of time. For me he is only a fox in the box type player but time will tell on all our opinions as to wether he is good or not.
Oh thats cool. I have no problem with anyone not rating Nketiah but if anyone is going to suggest or imply that he doesn’t have talent they better bring a better argument than goals because I can also point to game time. I mean Willock had a goalscoring ability and scored a lot for the time he was at Newcastle last season and Nketiah possesses more talent than Willock even from a goalscoring point of view. I can agree to a point that Nketiah is a fox in the box but he actually possesses footwork is my point and is comfortable out of the box. Look at his cameo against Everton and the one against Chelsea in preseason. His movement and style of play will get him goals in the future like with the U23’s.
Now the truth is showing up slowly that Auba’s goal draught was not a dip in form but mismanagement by the manager. You convinced a player to stay, gave him a lucrative salary and then forced him to play in the wrong position. When he can’t perform his best you banished him and come up with excuses of indiscipline. Who knows? Their feud must have resulted from Auba telling Mikel to play a formation that brings out the best in him. Isak or whosoever you guys want to bring in will take years or even FOREVER to get to Auba’s level.
Isak isn’t scoring goals. Arsenal can’t sign him. No
👍
I don’t think Isak is Barcelona’s main target, because he isn’t productive in La Liga and he wasn’t impressive in Euro. Arsenal had better look for another CF too, due to those reasons
Maybe we can get Lukaku at a cut-price? He is probably too old for our youth policy, but he was a world class CF and Chelsea might need a lot of money next season
Jonathan David is what we need all day if we must buy any striker.
I think we already have the strikers we need, but most fans are myopic, fickle, impatient and not contented with the talents we already have.
Can Jonathan David do hold-up play and win 50/50 challenges as Lacazette has been doing? If yes, he should be our main target
I have never watched him play though. We need to sign a new CF, because none of our CFs has Lacazette’s strengths
There is room for improvement, for he’s still a young boy. But he’s already doing more than that. Check him up!
Lukaku? What has happened at Chelsea was entirely predictable; he’s a powerful centre forward, who can finish, but doesn’t have a great first touch or ability to link the play well. He basically just wants to wait for the chances to come. Never world class imo.
Broja is far more promising, but i don’t think Chelsea would let him join us.
I was impressed with his performance in Euro
I don’t know about Broja, but I’d prefer Havertz instead. He’s a natural left-footed CAM, who’s also good in the air and has played false nine under Tuchel
Schick and Bissouma as our summer signings and we are good to go for next season.
Kinda funny how the better Vlahovic and Aubamayang perform at their new club’s the more the Artetaheads have to come out to defend the process. Is it so difficult to say Arteta couldn’t manage Aubamayang or that the Serbian didn’t want to join a club with limited short term potential and simply move on?
If that is a compliment, then you’re welcome.
Only time will tell. In the meantime, we’re doing okay without him. Soon we’ll find out if he’s been the reason why stuck outside top four all these time he’s been with us.
I don’t think you need time to tell, arsenal is struggling with goals now while Aubameyang is banging in for fun in Barcelona. Do you need to be a seer to read the hand writing on the wall?
The problem of this world is nothing else than people knowing the truth but insists on lies and propaganda.
My joy is that Aubameyang is enjoying himself while you guys keep grinding…..
😆😆😆😆😆😆☺️
Are you even an Arsenal fan? I’m having doubts….
He’s just one of those masquerades here posing as Arsenal fans.
By their comments you’ll identify them.
Pat I always doubt the true credentials as dyed in the wool Gooners about any who constantly prefer any particular player to the club . In this case its AUBA, BUT THERE IS ALSO GUENDOUZI, OZIL ETC.
ALL WHO PRIORITISE THEIR “LOVE” FOR ANY PLAYER ABOVE THE CLUB ARE IMO , IMPOSTERS AS TRUE FANS.
PLAYERS COME AND GO BUT THE CLUB REMAINS IN OUR HEARTS; AT LEAST IT DOES IN REAL FANS.
Yes Pat with due respect, I have been an arsenal fan may be far longer you do. Fact is, I’m a realist, I judge and comment based on facts and stats. Problem is that when I comment here most of you folks don’t accord me my right of opinion which I’m entitled to.
The truth is that Aubameyang did not deserve the treatment he got from Arsenal fc and some fans. He gave his best for Arsenal under the RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. He didn’t force the club to give him a £350/w contract, the club willingly did. What did some fans do? criticised him that’s receiving too much money. Do we even know how much other clubs are paying their players?
Secondly, the goal draught. Pat you wrote every negative thing about Aubameyang, even saying that his scoring days are way behind him. What are we seeing now in Barcelona? The work of a coach is to figure out how best to use his players to the best of their abilities. Was MA doing that? NO. He was trying to impose his his tactics and when that wasn’t yielding results, it was blamed on Aubameyang. MA Arteta did everything to frustrate Aubameyang and end his career but God is not human.
Now to answer your question, YES, IM AN ARSENAL FAN but I’m a human too. I know how it hurts to be betrayed by people you’re giving your best to. You guys should leave Aubameyang alone, stop writing about him. Face your club, write about your players and coach…
😣😣😣😣😣😣😣😣😣
You just described yourself.
Joe
Don’t think anyone here is questioneing Aubamayang ability
The thing people were questioning was his desire
As a captain he was non existent.
Lacca is a prime example of what was missing from aubes game for us. A hunger, desire and leadership even though he has failed to hit the back of the net.
Is it Aubes fault or MA fault not sure probably a mix of two.
Sometimes in life you need a fresh start to go again.
Glad he is doing well in barca colours and will always look out for ex players and managers results and hope they do well with little disappointment of if only but at the end of the day all I am concerned about is how we are doing and right now we are doing OK without him
Onwards and upwards
The conflict between Arteta and Auba has been, Aubas desire to join Barca. He had been tapped and his head turned, it was an opportunity to fulfill his dream of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, age is not on his side so it was now or never. Auba loves Arsenal, but lure of wearing the Barca shirt was too great. All the other issues were just facade. Arteta wasn’t going stop him, but felt the way Aubameyang was going about it was disrespectful to the club.
Hahaha @Jay, please I will like to know where this is coming from. Was Aubameyang being played, did he join the trip to Dubai? Was he treated fairly? The answer to these questions may throw more light on your opinion. I will leave it there buddy.
@Alanball08
It’s your opinion but I’ll beg to differ. Some people here said Auba is long past his scoring days. Some even went as far as labeling him a “deadwood “.
AG
different league and probably not a s good as ours but he is still knocking them in.
In My personal opinion I am happy he has now moved on. Best for him and certainly best for us as a club
Pretty simple really .Auba got made the scape goat for Artetas inability to get the best out of his offensive players .
Call me negative but his 5 goals in 3 starts only backs up my comment .
How many players have actually pushed on in the last 2 years ?
Arsenal are slowly turning into a robotic team that have no identity.
God bless you Dan for saying the truth. Some will want your head for this because they feel you should support EVERYTHING THE CLUB DOES, whether right or wrong for you to a fan.
SIGHS
Water off a ducks back for me mate .👍
If the Kroenkes are going to be good to their word and are prepared to invest in Arsenal, then the player to be targetted should be the Norwegian international, Haarland. He is a good friend of Martin Odegaard, who should be able to convince Haarland to join the “Arsenal project”, provided the money is right.