Arteta should binge Arsenal’s new signing Aubameyang

Mikel Arteta’s aspect have fallen woefully quick within the title race in latest seasons, and there was a way lengthy earlier than this summer time that the lacking piece at Arsenal was a brand new centre-forward.

Now, it is December and the Gunners sit fairly excessive within the Premier League and Champions League tables after a dreadful begin to the 2025/26 season.

Whether or not that is an excellent factor or not, Arteta has introduced in Mikel Merino, a makeshift striker who is probably extra dependable than anticipated, and his early-season type has been maintained regardless of additional turmoil at centre-forward.

The Spaniard has scored 5 objectives in all competitions, 4 of which got here in 11 appearances as a quantity 9, however as his early sending off towards Aston Villa confirmed, this experiment shouldn’t step by step turn out to be the norm.

The truth is, the North London aspect, regardless of their relentless high quality this season, nonetheless want a brand new addition to the bat in Victor Gokeres. He has hardly reached the heights of his predecessor.

Gokeres’ begin at Arsenal in comparison with Aubameyang

Gokeres, who has scored 97 objectives in simply 102 video games for Sporting CP over the previous two seasons, was signed for round £63.5 million and seemed set to be the ultimate piece of the puzzle to spearhead Arteta’s assault.

Kai Havertz’s absence provides the Swede a transparent path to common recreation time, and the previous Coventry Metropolis participant appeared to don’t have any excuse for his sluggish begin regardless of dealing with his personal health struggles.

Frustratingly, nonetheless, issues have not gone utterly to plan, with Arsenal scoring simply six objectives in all competitions on the large stage this summer time, with simply 4 of these coming within the high flight.

Admittedly, his outcomes aren’t horrible, however given his earlier efficiency in Portuguese soccer, there have been expectations that he would have the ability to hit the bottom working immediately.

For comparability, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the final actually prolific striker to grace the Emirates, additionally attracted consideration instantly upon his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, though the then 28-year-old was in all probability handled even harsher given his mid-season transfer.

In his first six months, the Gabonese speedster scored 10 objectives and offered 4 assists in simply 13 league video games, along with his solely look of the 2017/18 season coming within the Carabao Cup closing defeat to Manchester Metropolis.

Gökeres has scored six fewer objectives in his first 13 league video games, whereas failing to register a single help, and the jury remains to be out on whether or not he can attain the heights of Aubameyang, who scored 92 objectives.

However the 27-year-old in protection will not be the one downside Arteta faces, with one other necessary deputy susceptible to creeping into Aubameyang’s late-game territory.

Arteta must dump new signing Aubameyang

As mentioned above, Gökeres’ type is a trigger for concern, however the Sweden worldwide has solely been on the Emirates for just a few months, so it is nonetheless too early to evaluate him too harshly.

Nonetheless, the identical can’t be stated for Martin Odegaard, who changed Aubameyang as captain, and the Norwegian’s extended lack of affect is beginning to trigger main issues.

There may be presently no suggestion that the Norwegian was stricken by the off-field points that tainted Aubameyang’s closing days on the membership earlier than being proven the door by supervisor Arteta, however like his former team-mate, his standing as captain ought to be known as into query.

The previous Actual Madrid star’s repeated damage woes are not any match for him, however even when wholesome and out there, the left-footer is nowhere close to his former heights.

With a reported £240,000-a-week wage, simply shy of the £250,000-a-week that Aubameyang earned in his closing season in north London, Odegaard ranks as one of many highest-paid gamers presently, however his efficiency stage falls in need of that lofty standing.

In 12 appearances this season, the 26-year-old is but to attain and has offered simply two assists. This follows a very memorable 2024/25 season by which he scored three objectives and offered eight assists within the Premier League.

It hasn’t essentially been a disastrous comeback, however the participant, as soon as hailed as one of the best within the league by Manchester United’s Luke Shaw, is much from his earlier peak, scoring 19 league objectives in 2023/24 after scoring 22 the season earlier than.

For instance, towards Aston Villa final weekend, the choice to start out Odegaard and transfer Eberechi Eze to the left merely backfired on the Gunners supervisor’s aspect, with the struggling skipper dropping the ball 15 occasions and dropping seven duels on the day.

Then once more, he could not have fallen out of favor beneath the Spanish supervisor, quite the opposite, he echoes Aubameyang in that he sees his affect wane with every passing season.

Within the case of the present Marseille participant, he solely scored 10 objectives within the league in his final full season, however initially of the 2021/22 season he has solely scored 4 objectives within the high flight, a far cry from his spectacular 22 objectives within the 2019/20 and 2018/19 seasons.

Provided that decline and the bags that got here with it, Arteta ruthlessly sacked his captain to be able to proceed the transition that turned Arsenal into an elite unit as soon as once more.

Issues could also be slightly totally different with regards to his successor, however Odegaard can be a well-paid however struggling captain who could finally want some steerage.