Although some major silverware is still in sight for Arsenal this season, their recent FA Cup Third Round demise at home against rivals Manchester United again highlighted an issue that Gooners have been worried about since before the start of the campaign – do Arsenal have the firepower up front to go the extra mile and land a trophy?
Arsenal are still in the Premier League title talk and also harbour Champions League ambitions. Goals are naturally an important part of football betting statistics that punters use and after 20 games of the league season, Arsenal boasted the best defensive record in the league, with only Liverpool and Tottenham having scored more goals.
But as with betting results, narrow margins count in title races too, and finding a natural goal- getter for the remainder of the season would bolster Arsenal’s chances as they focus on the remaining silverware targets.
The Hot Hand Fallacy
The big question is why don’t Arsenal have an outright proven striker already? Kai Havertz stepped up brilliantly and did a job for Arsenal last season in front of goal. That was apparently enough for boss Mikel Arteta to not push harder to bring a new striker in during the summer.
But as is the nature of the hot-hand fallacy, just because something has worked well before, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to again. With some big misses in the FA Cup against United, most of the blame for Arsenal’s defeat fell on Havertz’s shoulders.
But the lack of transfer prowess in the summer is really at fault for not recognizing the need for change. But with the January transfer window still open, Arsenal have a chance to go shopping for a striker to solve their current problems with maybe a move for Viktor Gyokores, Victor Osimhen or Liam Delap.
This of course isn’t the first time that Arsenal have run into a goalscoring issue up front, and here’s a look back at how they solved them in the past.
Thierry Henry
One of the Premier League’s greatest-ever strikers, Henry was bought by Arsenal in 2012. The rise of his greatness was all down to Arsène Wenger because at the time, Henry had been a winger and a sometimes make-shift full-back. Wenger instinctively knew that Henry was wasted out on the wing, having worked with him before at Monaco.
With Nicolas Anelka heading out the door, Wenger trusted Henry in a more central role and the rest, as they say, is history. Buying new players in the January transfer window is never easy or cheap, so is there a player in the current Arsenal squad that could do a “Henry” and move into a focal point of Arsenal’s attack?
Robin van Persie
Dutch great Robin van Persie signed for Arsenal in April 2004. He was a bargain at just £3m from Feyenoord, which was just over half of what the club were asking for him. They had tried to get him in January that same year but had failed with a move.
This was another brilliant capture by Wenger and one that was made with some foresight as well because RVP was a long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. It just goes to show that a solution doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank, so could Arsenal find a solution to their current problems on the cheap?
Ian Wright
Arsenal shelled out a club record of £2.5 million in 1991 from Crystal Palace. He would go on to be Arsenal’s top scorer for six consecutive seasons. His signing was a master stroke by the Gunners.
Arsenal simply knew what they were getting in Wright, a natural poacher who could propel them to silverware. There was no beating around the bush with him, as Wright wasn’t signed for the future. He was the present and the future and he rewarded the club every step of the way, winning the Premier League and FA Cup.
If he had been around even longer for Wenger’s era, Wright’s silverware returns could have been through the roof. In the context of the present, will Arsenal put a full focus on a proven goalscorer who can carry the weight of expectations on his shoulders?
Nwankwo Kanu
Signed for £4.5 million in January 1999, Nwankwo Kanu was some risky transfer business by the Gunners. He moved from Inter Milan after making just 20 appearances for the club because of a health problem, for which he was recommended to stop playing because of a heart issue.
But Kanu kept going and Arsenal took a chance on him. In the early 2000s he was a key part of the squad, always awkward to play against, and despite his tall frame, was technically gifted. Few will forget his fifteen-minute hattrick against Chelsea in the 1999/200 season. Not all gambles pay off in the way that Kanu did, but sometimes the right fit just happens.
