The mood around Arsenal on Sunday night was a brilliant one.
Mikel Arteta’s side not only beat Manchester City but utterly demolished them 5-1, and while the pick of the goals came from Hale End graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, Kai Havertz also scored a brilliant curler of his own.
However, for everything the German did right against the champions, he also missed a golden opportunity in the first half, an opportunity which reaffirmed why so many fans were desperate for the club to pull the trigger and sign a striker before the transfer window slammed shut last night.
Alas, despite plenty of links, including some particularly strong ones to Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins, the club did not get themselves a new number nine, and what’s worse is the fact that they sold one in the summer who’s now outscoring Havertz and the Englishman.
Arsenal's striker search
Had you asked Arsenal fans what area of the squad needed to be strengthened last summer, we bet a significant portion of them would’ve said striker, yet the club clearly felt differently and opted to sign Riccardo Calafiori, Neto, Raheem Sterling and Mikel Merino.
However, the team’s need for a reliable number nine only became more evident as the campaign progressed, and when Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus both went down with long-term injuries within a few weeks of each other, it could be said the team were in a full-blown crisis at the top of the pitch.
So it was hardly a surprise when the club started to be linked with a whole host of tremendously exciting strikers last month.
One of the first major links of the window was to RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, who already has 17 goal involvements to his name this season, but despite Arteta and Co’s best efforts, the Bundesliga outfit were adamant that he would not be moving prior to the summer.
Another centre-forward constantly touted for a move to the Emirates was Dušan Vlahović, who’s scored 13 goals and provided two assists this term, but once again, nothing came of their supposed interest.
Appearances
29
28
Minutes
2063′
2017′
Goals
14
13
Assists
3
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
0.53
Minutes per Goal Involvement
121.35′
134.46′
However, the most significant link of all came towards the end of the window, when it was reported mid-way through last week that the club had made an offer for Villa’s Watkins, only for it to be turned down and then fade into nothing.
Given the state of Arsenal’s attack and the chances they have to win something this season, it would be hard to describe their failure to sign a striker as anything other than that, as a failure, and what makes it worse is that a player sold in the summer is now outscoring Havertz and Watkins.
The former Arsenal star outscoring Havertz and Watkins
So, Arsenal saw a lot of players leave the club on permanent deals in the summer, from Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah to Aaron Ramsdale and Mohamed Elneny, but the player we are talking about is Mika Biereth.
The Danish sharpshooter spent the second half of last season on loan with Austrian outfit Sturm Graz, where, in 22 games, he scored nine goals, provided four assists and did enough to earn a £4m move to the club.
This season, he took another step forward, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in just 25 games, which was enough to catch the eye of Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco, who opted to splash an initial £10.8m on the 21-year-old early last month.
Since moving to the French Riviera, the “incredible” poacher, as dubbed by podcaster and Hale End expert Will Balsam, has scored four goals and provided one assist in just four games, taking his tally for the season up to 18 goals and six assists in 19 games, which is not only incredible but also better than both Watkins and Havertz.
For his part, the former Exeter City star has scored 11 goals and provided nine assists in 33 appearances so far this season, which is undeniably impressive but still seven goals and four goal involvements short of the Dane’s tally.
Likewise, the Gunners’ number 29 has scored 15 goals and provided five assists in 33 games this season, but once again, that’s three goals and four goal involvements short of the player sold for £4m just seven months ago.
Now, there is certainly an argument to be made that the 6 foot 2 prospect has spent much of the season in a far easier league, but since making his move to France, which is still a top-five league, he’s looked just as dangerous.
Ultimately, Arsenal’s need for another striker is now impossible to ignore, and while we’ll never know how he’d have got on had he stayed, it certainly looks as if the club made a mistake in selling Biereth last summer.
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