Arsenal are now reportedly making a massive bid to land a new forward for Mikel Arteta as they look to fix their problems in front of goal.
Arsenal struggle from open play
Arsenal’s fifth draw of the season saw them lose more ground on Liverpool in the Premier League title race. The Gunners laboured to a 1-1 stalemate with Fulham at Craven Cottage, rescuing a point through William Saliba’s goal just before the hour mark.
It was their third goal from a corner in a week, and it has underlined their reliance on set pieces for goals, at the detriment of their attack. As per CBS reporter James Benge, Arsenal have managed to create at least 1 expected goal from open play on just three occasions in fifteen Premier League games this season, while they rank a lowly 13th in the division for open play expected goals this season.
Clearly, there are problems in attack. Neither Gabriel Jesus nor Raheem Sterling have troubled the scorers in the Premier League so far this campaign in almost 400 minutes of action combined, while Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard have 11 goals between them, only four more than Arsenal’s defenders.
Kai Havertz
5
Bukayo Saka
5
Leandro Trossard
3
Gabriel
3
Gabriel Martinelli
3
Mikel Arteta, speaking after the draw with Fulham, bemoaned the small “margins” in the game, that saw Gabriel Martinelli ruled offside in the build up to what would have been a winning goal.
“Very disappointed not to win the game, overall we absolutely dominated the game from start to end, we did all the things that we wanted to do during the game and unfortunately we concede one goal in one shot but the way the team played, the way the team wanted to win, it was unbelievable and very unfortunate for millimetres to win or don’t win in this league and that’s the disappointing thing tonight.”
Now, Arsenal want to sign a new forward to help them close those margins.
Arsenal make £50m+ striker bid
That is according to reports in Spain, that claim the Gunners are back on the trail of Brighton striker Joao Pedro. The Brazilian has been a player of interest to the Gunners previously and has thrived at the AMEX Stadium since his arrival from Watford.
Arsenal boss Arteta wants "extraordinary" player to stay despite exit links
The 24-year-old is attracting a lot of attention across Europe.
1 ByDominic LundDec 8, 2024
Brighton content creator Ryan Adsett dubbed him “magic”, and he has already managed four goals and three assists in just nine outings for the Seagulls this season.
As per the report, this has caught the eye of Mikel Arteta and co., with the report claiming that the young Brazilian “fits perfectly into Mikel Arteta’s plans”, adding that the Spaniard sees Pedro “as a fundamental piece to further strengthen the squad”.
To that end, it is claimed that “the Gunners are willing to pay between 55 and 65 million euros to secure his services” [£45m-£54m], with the report adding that Arsenal have made a “first offer” in that region for the Brazilian.
Though a January move seems unlikely, the versatile 23-year-old could well be one to watch in the summer transfer window.