We need to get the complete lack of chat about Man City’s 128 charges into the mainstream. Imagine if Arsenal had those charges hanging over them, Sky would be talking about that NON STOP
Arsenal have turned to the world's leading throw-in coach, Thomas Gronnemark, in a further effort to weaponise set pieces and use marginal gains in their push to win the Premier League - Sunday Times
Gronnemark spent five years at Liverpool under Klopp. In his first season, the club went from 18th to first in the league for possession from throw-ins. Klopp later said, “He changed our throw-in game completely.”
I have a couple observations and I'm curious if anyone else is thinking about it.. firstly, I'd like to see Madueke as the first attacking sub to be brought on, especially when we need a goal .
Definitely not Martinelli, not Jesus. If Madueke is such a dangerous player, as we see, he needs to be on more when we are having trouble creating opportunities. He can make something out of nothing. He is our second most dangerous forward after Saka and he can create from the left. I've seen crossing with his stronger foot and we can use that in certain situations.
And on that subject, I think we would have been much wiser to bring on Merino for Gyokeres instead of Jesus. In those conditions, I'd have been flinging balls to his head in the box. But he is also surprisingly good with his final ball for his teammates anyway.
Arsenal have turned to the world's leading throw-in coach, Thomas Gronnemark
This season has seen a return of long throws. Goals from throw-ins are rising again. Teams now treat them like corners.
Arsenal already score more set-piece goals than anyone else in the league. They have 14 this season. Yet they are not stopping there. They want more control. They want more pressure. They want more chaos in the final third.
Thomas Gronnemark is the world’s leading throw-in coach. He once held the world record for the longest throw-in at 51.33 metres. Arsenal have brought him in as a consultant to help them weaponise throw-ins and gain more from set pieces.
Gronnemark spent five years at Liverpool. In his first season, the club went from 18th to first in the league for possession from throw-ins.
Liverpool won the Champions League and then the Premier League. Klopp later said, “He changed our throw-in game completely.”
Gronnemark has always believed in his work. He said, “Improving throw-ins has a high impact, because you have 40-60 of them in ever match. It’s easy to improve throw-ins … with the right training.”
Bukayo Saka’s huge new deal shows Arsenal can be English football’s dominant force
England winger’s five-year contract tying him down until the age of 29 emphasises club’s belief that he is their most important player
Bukayo Saka has agreed a new five-year contract with Arsenal that will cement his position as one of Europe’s best-paid players.
Saka’s new contract is believed to run to the summer of 2031, and will therefore keep him committed to his boyhood club until the age of 29.
Saka was already among Arsenal’s highest-earners, with his current deal believed to be worth up to £290,000-per-week including various bonuses.
This new contract will be regarded as further recognition of the winger’s importance to Mikel Arteta’s first-team and to the club as a whole, given his status as one of their best ever academy products.
In conversations with other agents and players last summer, Telegraph Sport understands, it was made clear by Arsenal’s most powerful executives that Bukayo Saka is the club’s “franchise player”.
Such a term is more commonly used in sports in the United States, but it undoubtedly applies to Saka at Arsenal: not only is the 24-year-old the star player on the pitch, he is also the most prominent face of the Arsenal brand. Of all Mikel Arteta’s players, Saka is the one with the deepest connection to the club, and indeed to the supporters.
The message to potential new attacking signings, then, was clear: you will be behind Saka, in terms of status and in terms of salary. As one agent told Telegraph Sport during the summer transfer window: “No new signing can ever be given a contract bigger than Saka’s.”
That, then, is how Arsenal regard Saka. And the news of his new contract, which was never in any real doubt, is proof that Saka regards Arsenal with similar enthusiasm. They think he is the man for them, and he clearly thinks they are the club for him.
By committing his next five years to Arsenal, Saka is entrusting his boyhood club with his prime years. He will be 29 when this contract expires. It is a sign of his faith in Arteta’s project, and in the potential of the club as a whole.
Saka’s new deal, which is yet to be formally announced but has long been expected, follows a similar agreement with William Saliba. Saka and Saliba, both aged 24, are perhaps the two players who could most easily have left for one of the giants of European football, but they have both chosen to stay in north London.
Perhaps the greatest source of excitement for the Arsenal supporters is that the core players of their current team are now approaching their best years together. Gabriel Magalhães, Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, Kai Havertz, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are all aged between 28 and 24. Over the next few years, they could all peak at once.
This stability at Arsenal contrasts sharply with the turbulence at the Premier League’s other giants. Chelsea are seemingly in a constant state of change, as are Manchester United. Liverpool’s transition towards a new attack has not gone well. Tottenham Hotspur are a long, long way from challenging for the title. And at Manchester City, there can be no doubt that Pep Guardiola’s time at the club is approaching an end.
Does a period of dominance lie ahead for Arsenal, who are currently top of the Premier League and Champions League tables? There can be no certainty on such things, but it is undoubtedly true that Arsenal currently appear better-placed to attack the next few seasons than their rivals. Saka must feel that, too. A hugely ambitious man, he would not have signed if he did not believe success was close.
______________________________________________
I didn't even realize Saka is signing a FIVE-year deal. Holy shit! It's the commitment I've been dreaming of compared to his previous two-year extension that had me worried.
Some people will be worried about the notion of - “No new signing can ever be given a contract bigger than Saka’s.” but I'm not. He is our symbol, he is our star, it only makes sense and I'm glad Arsenal have done the needed to get this over the line.
Sam Dean's last paragraph is a thing of beauty and I couldn't agree more.
yes and he has tons of miles on those legs from a younger age. 5 more years and gigantic money is a risk IMO. His form this season has been kind meh. What do we expect in the future? 20 goals?
My concern is the 3 players that have had serious injuries are on $250k/week and another is having problems scoring. That is a big time gamble all things considered.
My stupid blowout prediction against Liverpool. I knew it was dead when I saw the weather. Still a 1-0 was the hope under those conditions. A little frustrating because they are truly shit. Get used to the fact that games against Arsenal are every teams Superbowl.
We are dealing with it quite well so far, as the great Man City and Klopp teams did. It's our time. Double incoming.
Brutal article Pedro...sometimes you do come with absolute gold dressed with body Armour and a spear made of titanium.
I have been very much on the Gyokeres needs time to adapt bandwagon, but my teenage daughter has written him off, having been spoiled by Sanchez and Auba.
I myself felt we needed someone like Eketike. I didn't want Sesko, Gyokeres, or that racist Serb at Juve.
And the fact is we really need two world class strikers still. There are not many of them but we got to get past these clumsy robotic hard runner type cu.ts Arteta likes.
We need flair and skill and pace and power. Basically footballing sex appeal for our No9.
So I in fact maybe starting to agree with you because Gyokeres needs to show alot more, he is hiding and not demanding enough. And he is getting chances just not taking them. Still think he will do something though whether it's enough long term who knows.
No way that he's not happy. He's playing plenty of minutes in arguably the best team in the world... One of very few favourites to win the Champions league and toughest league in the world.
You think the would prefer putting up silly numbers in a second rate league?
He knew this would be a massive challenge and he backs himself.
He's happy to be here, even if it's not perfect. All players in this squad are treated as valuable even if they don't get off the bench much.
of course what he thought versus what is happening is very different. You also forget money talks. Im sure he has no problem with his paycheck. His performances are dire. utter shit. So you are right, he is the one getting the best deal, I just need to see ROI
I’ve held back from commenting on this topic today but I see my name being mentioned so here it goes.
As I’ve said countless times, our team has carried Gyokeres over and over again, that’s why we’re #1 in both the Premier League and Champions League. The problem is simple, it’s impossible to keep carrying a passenger forever. Our players need help at this stage of the season.
The logic of “we’re top of the league, so why complain?” is ridiculous. If a player is underperforming, it’s a problem, and it needs to be addressed. There will come a time when our other players will need a proper striker - someone to win aerial duels, hold up play, link attacks, score goals, or provide assists. We cannot keep functioning with 10 or 10.5 players at best, especially after the grueling Christmas period, when we’re playing every 3-4 days.
Rice and Zubimendi need games where we’re cruising to conserve energy. Saka and Trossard benefit from deciding matches early so Martinelli and Noni can get minutes. Right now, we’re only half a functioning team because we’ve got a lamppost up front.
Take Havertz, for example. He was the second-highest contributor in goals and assists behind Saka over an 18-month stretch before injury. He ranked fourth among Premier League center-forwards for the calendar 2024, behind Haaland, Isak, and Watkins, while doing the dirty work none of them do.
Watch Arsenal’s 54 Premier League goals from the 2023/24 run-in https://x.com/imzftbi/status/1951361268046070000 and tell me Havertz wasn’t monumental. He gave us six months of top-class football in the best Arsenal side I’ve seen in nearly 20 years. Yet people trashed him and clamored for “better.” Their “better” was Gyokeres, a downgrade of epic proportions. Havertz’s very first game for Arsenal (Community Shield vs. City) was on par with Gyokeres’ only solid performance (against Burnley). Kai did that against the best team in the world, fresh off a Champions League win. Then, in his second appearance at CF, assisted Martinelli for the winning goal against City in the league. The backend of the 23/24 season was unbelievable and largely, thanks to him.
I refuse to accept such a massive downgrade at center-forward. I’m stunned Berta pulled the trigger, ignoring Arsenal’s recruitment staff who profiled Gyokeres as a second-tier striker. This is just another flop in his €300m spree on Jackson Martínez, Lemar, Felix, and a washed Diego Costa.
Arteta knows the truth, but Gyokeres has too many supporters for him to bench without looking like the villain. Gyokeres deceived many into believing his hype, and now his fans blame Saka, Odegaard, and even Arteta for his failures. Eventually, this flop will give Arteta leverage over Berta.
Let’s look at the numbers: Gyokeres has played 1,300 Premier League minutes (16 starts, 3 sub apps) with just 3 non-penalty goals and 0 assists. That’s a goal contribution every 433 minutes, criminal for a supposed top striker. His all-round game is poor: he can’t win long balls, can’t beat defenders on through balls, is slow and timid in the box, has poor positioning, and lacks the power or pace to trouble center-backs. Against deep defenses, he’s a non-entity. He runs, he tries, but skill-wise he’s out of his depth. Honestly, he’d struggle at a mid-table club, let alone Arsenal. His stats are so shocking I’d rather have Calvert-Lewin.
The bigger issue is that we desperately need quality up front. Kai will need time, but Merino has been our best option since Havertz’s injury 11 months ago. Gyokeres will keep getting chances, but only to salvage his value before we inevitably take a hit in the summer.
He can start games we know we’ll win comfortably or come off the bench to run, but he cannot be our main striker. With the title at stake, we won’t win it if he starts another 16 games. This isn’t about him, it’s about ending a 22-year wait for the league. We need genuine class, not a passenger.
If you want to wait for bad results, be my guest. We’ve scraped by thanks to clutch Owen Goal and Big Gab's return, but that won’t last. Havertz can’t come back soon enough. We’re desperate.
One thing about Gyok that bothers me a lot is the lack of speed and positioning. He is limited for sure. I also was sold on the highlight reel videos of him. But lets not forget, we got him because we knew that Kai was not the answer long term to bang in the goals we need. Plenty of chances and misses. To his credit he is not a pure 9 and does try. Gyok is a pure 9 and does try. Its almost like we have this mysterious hole for striker that has never been filled. Who the F is going to get us 20 plus per season? NO ONE.
Its the system that does not play to a 9 like other teams. We horshoe around and then someone decides to shoot or we get Owen goals, or Set piece FC
One thing that works is the middle attack, that Ode showed v AV the other day. Also cut backs seem to work if Martinelli is not playing.
I dont know another strategy for us to score more, outside of just taking more shots. Mike hates that.
"Who the F is going to get us 20 plus per season? NO ONE."
We don't need to. Pool won the league after a generational season from Mo and he still ended up at exactly 20 non-penalty goals. No one in the league managed 20 NPG but him and the 2nd at Pool was Diaz with 13 goals, followed by Gakpo with 10.
We can have a striker with 15 npg, with a couple of wingers reaching a similar number and we'll be fine. We've got plenty of goals in Saka, Tross, Marti, Merino, Dec, Eze, Big Gab, Zubi, Noni etc. And we're currently top of the league with an underperforming striker.
If we had Havertz from the start, we'd be out of sight. He's shown the level before, not sure why people try to rewrite history like we're waiting for someone who doesn't exist and that's in addition to the plethora of other qualities he gives us. It's disingenuous.
Havertz finished the 23/24 season with 12 non-penalty goals and 8 assists in 2640 minutes, playing half the season in Declan's position.
A run of 14 games with 9g, 7a (the last 14 PL games of Havertz in 23/24) is repeatable as long as we have our core players available and not the massively depleted team from last season.
13 non-penalty goals in La Liga last season, outscored by the backup CF at his club (Sorloth) who played 1000 less minutes (19 npg). 4 assists only. No thanks.
Currently on 5 npg in La Liga this season. Overrated.
As an option to play with Havertz, maybe but we spent our load on Eze.
Yh pedders you forgot that were wearing the all white kit so I’m expecting another stinker of a cup performance and Teta going full foggin standards in the changing room 🤣
we are not buying another striker in Jan. If anything we need a CB or CM. Cover. Our team continues to drop like flies with soft tissue injuries.
So it is Kai or Gyok to fire us goals. Not happening with Saka or anyone else on a regular basis. We just need goals. I dont think our system suits a 9 at all.
Gyok is not that skilled. Kai has more skills but its still going to be goals by committee with us.
Will be great to see Kai back, we have really missed him. Rightly or wrongly, associate him with us battering teams, including the likes of Chelsea a couple years ago. Who knows, his intelligence might even be able to help Gyokeres
We need to get the complete lack of chat about Man City’s 128 charges into the mainstream. Imagine if Arsenal had those charges hanging over them, Sky would be talking about that NON STOP
I guess time will tell, eager to see by the end of the season who has scored more or better stats per 90 between Jesus, Merino, Kai and Big Vik.
Semenyo took a whole second to get a G and A.
" Oh my God who would of thought"
kai is not a savior, but he is someone that can
-win a header
-win a duel
-pass the ball forward
-get in goal scoring positions
Which Gyokeres is apparently not capable of doing in this league.
Arsenal have turned to the world's leading throw-in coach, Thomas Gronnemark, in a further effort to weaponise set pieces and use marginal gains in their push to win the Premier League - Sunday Times
Arteta ball
Gronnemark spent five years at Liverpool under Klopp. In his first season, the club went from 18th to first in the league for possession from throw-ins. Klopp later said, “He changed our throw-in game completely.”
Klopp ball
Could we try major gains and score from open play?
Oh my God who would have thought
I have a couple observations and I'm curious if anyone else is thinking about it.. firstly, I'd like to see Madueke as the first attacking sub to be brought on, especially when we need a goal .
Definitely not Martinelli, not Jesus. If Madueke is such a dangerous player, as we see, he needs to be on more when we are having trouble creating opportunities. He can make something out of nothing. He is our second most dangerous forward after Saka and he can create from the left. I've seen crossing with his stronger foot and we can use that in certain situations.
And on that subject, I think we would have been much wiser to bring on Merino for Gyokeres instead of Jesus. In those conditions, I'd have been flinging balls to his head in the box. But he is also surprisingly good with his final ball for his teammates anyway.
The Times
Arsenal have turned to the world's leading throw-in coach, Thomas Gronnemark
This season has seen a return of long throws. Goals from throw-ins are rising again. Teams now treat them like corners.
Arsenal already score more set-piece goals than anyone else in the league. They have 14 this season. Yet they are not stopping there. They want more control. They want more pressure. They want more chaos in the final third.
Thomas Gronnemark is the world’s leading throw-in coach. He once held the world record for the longest throw-in at 51.33 metres. Arsenal have brought him in as a consultant to help them weaponise throw-ins and gain more from set pieces.
Gronnemark spent five years at Liverpool. In his first season, the club went from 18th to first in the league for possession from throw-ins.
Liverpool won the Champions League and then the Premier League. Klopp later said, “He changed our throw-in game completely.”
Gronnemark has always believed in his work. He said, “Improving throw-ins has a high impact, because you have 40-60 of them in ever match. It’s easy to improve throw-ins … with the right training.”
Sam Dean, Telegraph
Bukayo Saka’s huge new deal shows Arsenal can be English football’s dominant force
England winger’s five-year contract tying him down until the age of 29 emphasises club’s belief that he is their most important player
Bukayo Saka has agreed a new five-year contract with Arsenal that will cement his position as one of Europe’s best-paid players.
Saka’s new contract is believed to run to the summer of 2031, and will therefore keep him committed to his boyhood club until the age of 29.
Saka was already among Arsenal’s highest-earners, with his current deal believed to be worth up to £290,000-per-week including various bonuses.
This new contract will be regarded as further recognition of the winger’s importance to Mikel Arteta’s first-team and to the club as a whole, given his status as one of their best ever academy products.
In conversations with other agents and players last summer, Telegraph Sport understands, it was made clear by Arsenal’s most powerful executives that Bukayo Saka is the club’s “franchise player”.
Such a term is more commonly used in sports in the United States, but it undoubtedly applies to Saka at Arsenal: not only is the 24-year-old the star player on the pitch, he is also the most prominent face of the Arsenal brand. Of all Mikel Arteta’s players, Saka is the one with the deepest connection to the club, and indeed to the supporters.
The message to potential new attacking signings, then, was clear: you will be behind Saka, in terms of status and in terms of salary. As one agent told Telegraph Sport during the summer transfer window: “No new signing can ever be given a contract bigger than Saka’s.”
That, then, is how Arsenal regard Saka. And the news of his new contract, which was never in any real doubt, is proof that Saka regards Arsenal with similar enthusiasm. They think he is the man for them, and he clearly thinks they are the club for him.
By committing his next five years to Arsenal, Saka is entrusting his boyhood club with his prime years. He will be 29 when this contract expires. It is a sign of his faith in Arteta’s project, and in the potential of the club as a whole.
Saka’s new deal, which is yet to be formally announced but has long been expected, follows a similar agreement with William Saliba. Saka and Saliba, both aged 24, are perhaps the two players who could most easily have left for one of the giants of European football, but they have both chosen to stay in north London.
Perhaps the greatest source of excitement for the Arsenal supporters is that the core players of their current team are now approaching their best years together. Gabriel Magalhães, Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, Kai Havertz, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are all aged between 28 and 24. Over the next few years, they could all peak at once.
This stability at Arsenal contrasts sharply with the turbulence at the Premier League’s other giants. Chelsea are seemingly in a constant state of change, as are Manchester United. Liverpool’s transition towards a new attack has not gone well. Tottenham Hotspur are a long, long way from challenging for the title. And at Manchester City, there can be no doubt that Pep Guardiola’s time at the club is approaching an end.
Does a period of dominance lie ahead for Arsenal, who are currently top of the Premier League and Champions League tables? There can be no certainty on such things, but it is undoubtedly true that Arsenal currently appear better-placed to attack the next few seasons than their rivals. Saka must feel that, too. A hugely ambitious man, he would not have signed if he did not believe success was close.
______________________________________________
I didn't even realize Saka is signing a FIVE-year deal. Holy shit! It's the commitment I've been dreaming of compared to his previous two-year extension that had me worried.
Some people will be worried about the notion of - “No new signing can ever be given a contract bigger than Saka’s.” but I'm not. He is our symbol, he is our star, it only makes sense and I'm glad Arsenal have done the needed to get this over the line.
Sam Dean's last paragraph is a thing of beauty and I couldn't agree more.
Makes me wonder...but, but Mikel Arteta is so "horribly bad" as a manager that players are fleeing [I mean staying] at Arsenal.
Testament to the gaffer - and it is truly wonderful that Saka feels at home.
‘Some people will be worried about the notion of - “No new signing can ever be given a contract bigger than Saka’s.” but I'm not.’
Sounds to me like you’re worried though, and maybe for a good reason too.
Saka might be our best player right now , but is he really a player who should expect staying forever top of the earning tree at Arsenal?
Then again it depends what they will pay him next I guess.
And not like there’s another Henry anywhere on the horizon either.
yes and he has tons of miles on those legs from a younger age. 5 more years and gigantic money is a risk IMO. His form this season has been kind meh. What do we expect in the future? 20 goals?
We expect him to take the crown from Mo Salah as the best winger in the PL and build a legacy together.
My concern is the 3 players that have had serious injuries are on $250k/week and another is having problems scoring. That is a big time gamble all things considered.
Match on tv tomorrow?
Strong starting team
For city today against Exeter. Their squad really stretched now. At two games coming against the toon army. Great to see
My stupid blowout prediction against Liverpool. I knew it was dead when I saw the weather. Still a 1-0 was the hope under those conditions. A little frustrating because they are truly shit. Get used to the fact that games against Arsenal are every teams Superbowl.
We are dealing with it quite well so far, as the great Man City and Klopp teams did. It's our time. Double incoming.
Raptora "holding back about Gyok" ... yeah, for about four minutes he held back.
Catnip
I was namedropped btw.
Brutal article Pedro...sometimes you do come with absolute gold dressed with body Armour and a spear made of titanium.
I have been very much on the Gyokeres needs time to adapt bandwagon, but my teenage daughter has written him off, having been spoiled by Sanchez and Auba.
I myself felt we needed someone like Eketike. I didn't want Sesko, Gyokeres, or that racist Serb at Juve.
And the fact is we really need two world class strikers still. There are not many of them but we got to get past these clumsy robotic hard runner type cu.ts Arteta likes.
We need flair and skill and pace and power. Basically footballing sex appeal for our No9.
So I in fact maybe starting to agree with you because Gyokeres needs to show alot more, he is hiding and not demanding enough. And he is getting chances just not taking them. Still think he will do something though whether it's enough long term who knows.
He might be thinking it was a mistake coming to us. His holding out, causing all that drama for nothing
No way that he's not happy. He's playing plenty of minutes in arguably the best team in the world... One of very few favourites to win the Champions league and toughest league in the world.
You think the would prefer putting up silly numbers in a second rate league?
He knew this would be a massive challenge and he backs himself.
He's happy to be here, even if it's not perfect. All players in this squad are treated as valuable even if they don't get off the bench much.
of course what he thought versus what is happening is very different. You also forget money talks. Im sure he has no problem with his paycheck. His performances are dire. utter shit. So you are right, he is the one getting the best deal, I just need to see ROI
Vlahovic looks dumber than a bag of rocks man
I’ve held back from commenting on this topic today but I see my name being mentioned so here it goes.
As I’ve said countless times, our team has carried Gyokeres over and over again, that’s why we’re #1 in both the Premier League and Champions League. The problem is simple, it’s impossible to keep carrying a passenger forever. Our players need help at this stage of the season.
The logic of “we’re top of the league, so why complain?” is ridiculous. If a player is underperforming, it’s a problem, and it needs to be addressed. There will come a time when our other players will need a proper striker - someone to win aerial duels, hold up play, link attacks, score goals, or provide assists. We cannot keep functioning with 10 or 10.5 players at best, especially after the grueling Christmas period, when we’re playing every 3-4 days.
Rice and Zubimendi need games where we’re cruising to conserve energy. Saka and Trossard benefit from deciding matches early so Martinelli and Noni can get minutes. Right now, we’re only half a functioning team because we’ve got a lamppost up front.
Take Havertz, for example. He was the second-highest contributor in goals and assists behind Saka over an 18-month stretch before injury. He ranked fourth among Premier League center-forwards for the calendar 2024, behind Haaland, Isak, and Watkins, while doing the dirty work none of them do.
Watch Arsenal’s 54 Premier League goals from the 2023/24 run-in https://x.com/imzftbi/status/1951361268046070000 and tell me Havertz wasn’t monumental. He gave us six months of top-class football in the best Arsenal side I’ve seen in nearly 20 years. Yet people trashed him and clamored for “better.” Their “better” was Gyokeres, a downgrade of epic proportions. Havertz’s very first game for Arsenal (Community Shield vs. City) was on par with Gyokeres’ only solid performance (against Burnley). Kai did that against the best team in the world, fresh off a Champions League win. Then, in his second appearance at CF, assisted Martinelli for the winning goal against City in the league. The backend of the 23/24 season was unbelievable and largely, thanks to him.
I refuse to accept such a massive downgrade at center-forward. I’m stunned Berta pulled the trigger, ignoring Arsenal’s recruitment staff who profiled Gyokeres as a second-tier striker. This is just another flop in his €300m spree on Jackson Martínez, Lemar, Felix, and a washed Diego Costa.
Arteta knows the truth, but Gyokeres has too many supporters for him to bench without looking like the villain. Gyokeres deceived many into believing his hype, and now his fans blame Saka, Odegaard, and even Arteta for his failures. Eventually, this flop will give Arteta leverage over Berta.
Let’s look at the numbers: Gyokeres has played 1,300 Premier League minutes (16 starts, 3 sub apps) with just 3 non-penalty goals and 0 assists. That’s a goal contribution every 433 minutes, criminal for a supposed top striker. His all-round game is poor: he can’t win long balls, can’t beat defenders on through balls, is slow and timid in the box, has poor positioning, and lacks the power or pace to trouble center-backs. Against deep defenses, he’s a non-entity. He runs, he tries, but skill-wise he’s out of his depth. Honestly, he’d struggle at a mid-table club, let alone Arsenal. His stats are so shocking I’d rather have Calvert-Lewin.
The bigger issue is that we desperately need quality up front. Kai will need time, but Merino has been our best option since Havertz’s injury 11 months ago. Gyokeres will keep getting chances, but only to salvage his value before we inevitably take a hit in the summer.
He can start games we know we’ll win comfortably or come off the bench to run, but he cannot be our main striker. With the title at stake, we won’t win it if he starts another 16 games. This isn’t about him, it’s about ending a 22-year wait for the league. We need genuine class, not a passenger.
If you want to wait for bad results, be my guest. We’ve scraped by thanks to clutch Owen Goal and Big Gab's return, but that won’t last. Havertz can’t come back soon enough. We’re desperate.
One thing about Gyok that bothers me a lot is the lack of speed and positioning. He is limited for sure. I also was sold on the highlight reel videos of him. But lets not forget, we got him because we knew that Kai was not the answer long term to bang in the goals we need. Plenty of chances and misses. To his credit he is not a pure 9 and does try. Gyok is a pure 9 and does try. Its almost like we have this mysterious hole for striker that has never been filled. Who the F is going to get us 20 plus per season? NO ONE.
Its the system that does not play to a 9 like other teams. We horshoe around and then someone decides to shoot or we get Owen goals, or Set piece FC
One thing that works is the middle attack, that Ode showed v AV the other day. Also cut backs seem to work if Martinelli is not playing.
I dont know another strategy for us to score more, outside of just taking more shots. Mike hates that.
"Who the F is going to get us 20 plus per season? NO ONE."
We don't need to. Pool won the league after a generational season from Mo and he still ended up at exactly 20 non-penalty goals. No one in the league managed 20 NPG but him and the 2nd at Pool was Diaz with 13 goals, followed by Gakpo with 10.
We can have a striker with 15 npg, with a couple of wingers reaching a similar number and we'll be fine. We've got plenty of goals in Saka, Tross, Marti, Merino, Dec, Eze, Big Gab, Zubi, Noni etc. And we're currently top of the league with an underperforming striker.
If we had Havertz from the start, we'd be out of sight. He's shown the level before, not sure why people try to rewrite history like we're waiting for someone who doesn't exist and that's in addition to the plethora of other qualities he gives us. It's disingenuous.
Havertz finished the 23/24 season with 12 non-penalty goals and 8 assists in 2640 minutes, playing half the season in Declan's position.
A run of 14 games with 9g, 7a (the last 14 PL games of Havertz in 23/24) is repeatable as long as we have our core players available and not the massively depleted team from last season.
"Who the F is going to get us 20 plus per season? NO ONE."
Alvarez?
13 non-penalty goals in La Liga last season, outscored by the backup CF at his club (Sorloth) who played 1000 less minutes (19 npg). 4 assists only. No thanks.
Currently on 5 npg in La Liga this season. Overrated.
As an option to play with Havertz, maybe but we spent our load on Eze.
I wish
The truth hurts :)
Yh pedders you forgot that were wearing the all white kit so I’m expecting another stinker of a cup performance and Teta going full foggin standards in the changing room 🤣
The Athletic said we've dropped all white and we'll be playing in our home red and white kit but with white socks because of Pompey's red socks.
Oh are we. I’m on board with that. I love the all white kit and what it stands for but we’re always terrible when we play in it 🤦🏾♂️
we are not buying another striker in Jan. If anything we need a CB or CM. Cover. Our team continues to drop like flies with soft tissue injuries.
So it is Kai or Gyok to fire us goals. Not happening with Saka or anyone else on a regular basis. We just need goals. I dont think our system suits a 9 at all.
Gyok is not that skilled. Kai has more skills but its still going to be goals by committee with us.
ITs just how the system is.
Will be great to see Kai back, we have really missed him. Rightly or wrongly, associate him with us battering teams, including the likes of Chelsea a couple years ago. Who knows, his intelligence might even be able to help Gyokeres
Rightly!