D
Dan Owen
Guest
The irony was not lost on many supporters when Mikel Arteta broke down the reasons for Arsenal’s sudden downturn in form, drawing a blank during those damaging defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
“(We have to score goals) from everywhere,” the manager told TNT Sports. “Because the reality is we don’t have a striker who is going to score 35, 40 goals. And we have to live with that.”
Some may argue that Mikel Arteta only really has himself to blame for that particular issue. It was he, after all, he played a major role in the signings of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, two players who set The Gunners back £110 million combined.
Both Havertz and Jesus have their qualities, of course. But they were not ’35 to 40′ goal-a-season forwards before moving to the Emirates, and they are certainly not these days either.
Would either player genuinely start up top for, say, Aston Villa or Newcastle United, ahead of Ollie Watkins or Alexander Isak? Would Arsenal have been better off saving the £45 million they spent on the hard-working but wasteful Jesus and the mercurial Havertz, and instead betting big on a more traditional number nine?
Isak, for instance, was heavily linked with Arsenal – and is still of interest today, HITC understands – during the summer of 2022, before Jesus reunited with his former Manchester City coach in North London.
Uncomfortable results mean uncomfortable questions.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
“If Arsenal don’t win the title – especially as they’re out of the Champions League now – do we have a serious conversation about whether (Arteta) is the man to take the big silverware to Arsenal?” wonders Stan Collymore, the ex-England, Liverpool and Villa striker speaking to Caught Offside.
“£690m spent (over Arteta’s tenure). Playing Kai Havertz in midfield against a well drilled Villa team who outfought and out-thought them in the second half…
“If there’s another choke on the same scale as last year, then surely Arsenal need to at least be looking around the market to see if there’s someone who can get them over the line?”
The general consensus is that, despite winning only one trophy (the 2020 FA Cup), Arteta’s spell in the Emirates dugout has been a pretty considerable success.
Lest we forget, the Spaniard took over a team that had hit rock bottom under Unai Emery – some were even fearing a relegation battle at the time – and has turned Arsenal back into genuine title contenders, all the while building a squad full of hungry, improving young players.
But time waits for few men in football. And Collymore feels that, with another trophyless season a possibility and with some of his most expensive signings falling short on the biggest stage, Arteta may soon be at risk of the ruthlessness which pervades the modern game.
“Arteta’s no rookie, let’s not forget,” Collymore adds, while also questioning the former Arsenal captain’s decision to return to Man City and bring in Oleksandr Zinchenko for a further £30 million.
“He’s been an apprentice at City, has had plenty of time to settle and implement his ideas at Arsenal and brought in the players he wanted, including the likes of Havertz, Jesus…
“(Jesus), when not injured, hasn’t done anywhere near enough to suggest he’s a regular 25 goal-a-season striker. And if Zinchenko is the ‘leader’ that would transform the dressing room into winners, then I’ve yet to see it in his performances.
“Pressure is on, Mikel. Forget the players, it’s on you now to prove you can lead when it matters.”
Arsenal, despite that home defeat to Unai Emery’s Villa last time out, remain only two points adrift of Man City in the title race. If you’d offered such a situation to Gunners fans at the start of the campaign, they probably would have taken it.
Especially without a ’30 to 40′ goal a season striker leading the line.
The post Pundit criticises £140m Arsenal trio which should lead to 'serious conversations' about Arteta appeared first on HITC.
Continue reading...
“(We have to score goals) from everywhere,” the manager told TNT Sports. “Because the reality is we don’t have a striker who is going to score 35, 40 goals. And we have to live with that.”
Some may argue that Mikel Arteta only really has himself to blame for that particular issue. It was he, after all, he played a major role in the signings of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, two players who set The Gunners back £110 million combined.
Both Havertz and Jesus have their qualities, of course. But they were not ’35 to 40′ goal-a-season forwards before moving to the Emirates, and they are certainly not these days either.
Would either player genuinely start up top for, say, Aston Villa or Newcastle United, ahead of Ollie Watkins or Alexander Isak? Would Arsenal have been better off saving the £45 million they spent on the hard-working but wasteful Jesus and the mercurial Havertz, and instead betting big on a more traditional number nine?
Isak, for instance, was heavily linked with Arsenal – and is still of interest today, HITC understands – during the summer of 2022, before Jesus reunited with his former Manchester City coach in North London.
Uncomfortable results mean uncomfortable questions.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Did Arsenal buy the wrong players in £140m splurge?
“If Arsenal don’t win the title – especially as they’re out of the Champions League now – do we have a serious conversation about whether (Arteta) is the man to take the big silverware to Arsenal?” wonders Stan Collymore, the ex-England, Liverpool and Villa striker speaking to Caught Offside.
“£690m spent (over Arteta’s tenure). Playing Kai Havertz in midfield against a well drilled Villa team who outfought and out-thought them in the second half…
“If there’s another choke on the same scale as last year, then surely Arsenal need to at least be looking around the market to see if there’s someone who can get them over the line?”
The general consensus is that, despite winning only one trophy (the 2020 FA Cup), Arteta’s spell in the Emirates dugout has been a pretty considerable success.
Lest we forget, the Spaniard took over a team that had hit rock bottom under Unai Emery – some were even fearing a relegation battle at the time – and has turned Arsenal back into genuine title contenders, all the while building a squad full of hungry, improving young players.
But time waits for few men in football. And Collymore feels that, with another trophyless season a possibility and with some of his most expensive signings falling short on the biggest stage, Arteta may soon be at risk of the ruthlessness which pervades the modern game.
Should Mikel Arteta really be under pressure?
“Arteta’s no rookie, let’s not forget,” Collymore adds, while also questioning the former Arsenal captain’s decision to return to Man City and bring in Oleksandr Zinchenko for a further £30 million.
“He’s been an apprentice at City, has had plenty of time to settle and implement his ideas at Arsenal and brought in the players he wanted, including the likes of Havertz, Jesus…
“(Jesus), when not injured, hasn’t done anywhere near enough to suggest he’s a regular 25 goal-a-season striker. And if Zinchenko is the ‘leader’ that would transform the dressing room into winners, then I’ve yet to see it in his performances.
“Pressure is on, Mikel. Forget the players, it’s on you now to prove you can lead when it matters.”
Arsenal, despite that home defeat to Unai Emery’s Villa last time out, remain only two points adrift of Man City in the title race. If you’d offered such a situation to Gunners fans at the start of the campaign, they probably would have taken it.
Especially without a ’30 to 40′ goal a season striker leading the line.
The post Pundit criticises £140m Arsenal trio which should lead to 'serious conversations' about Arteta appeared first on HITC.
Continue reading...