Save Our Season: Buy A Striker
A frustrating afternoon along the banks of the River Thames only underlined the fact that Arsenal need a striker - and fast
Hello,
Happy Monday, or rather, it isn’t really.
Not after we dropped two points on Sunday, during a frustrating afternoon along the banks of the River Thames.
Alexander Isak would make a welcome addition to the Gunners misfiring forward line.
Conceding a well-taken early goal by Fulham’s Raul Jimenez put us on the back foot, albeit in challenging weather conditions, as the wind and the rain from the interminable Storm Darragh, lingered.
William Saliba’s second half equaliser teed us up for a grandstand finish, with hopes for a winner rising every time Mikel Arteta’s side earned a set piece.
Cue Bukayo Saka’s late ‘winner’, sending Arsenal’s travelling hordes massed in the away end (and elsewhere around the ground, including myself) into raptures.
Only for it to be correctly ruled out for offside earlier in the move.
We still love you Gabi, just try and stay onside next time. Love Gooners everywhere. x
By the way, if you’re one of those small number of absolutely cretins abusing Gabi Martinelli, then you’re really not wanted at The Arsenal, because we win as a team, and we lose as a team - even if I imagine he will be drilled to within an inch of his life on the training ground this week, in a bid to prevent that damaging extra yard of eagerness…
Cue frustration all around, when dropping two valuable points, at the final whistle moments later.
We win as a team, we lose (and draw) as a team. My view of the Arsenal side from my vantage point in Fulham’s new Riverside Stand. CREDIT:
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Save Our Season: Buy A Striker
Yet, what was instructive to me, was the utter lack of impact a faded and forlorn Gabriel Jesus failed to impart on the game, when we was brought on to replace a clearly exhausted Kai Havertz - who yet again ran his socks off for the cause.
No-one wants to see a fellow Gooner fail, but I genuinely do believe Jesus has ran his race with Arsenal, and if he were to depart for Saudi and a shedload of cash - for him and the club - in the January window, then I think that would be the best outcome.
Because it’s been painful to watch his demise. Sliding from a dangerous goalscorer, to a benign presence, lacking any confidence and belief in himself that we will ever be able to influence games again through his once highly-regarded ability to score.
Such a shame, but these things happen. It doesn’t do anyone any good to analyse why he has ended up a spent force, let’s just hope the club and his representatives are already working behind the scenes for a move next month.
Not least because it would free up valuable revenue which could then be angled towards a tilt at landing a goalscoring striker that would give the entire club and fanbase a boost from early 2025 onwards.
But who, I hear you ask plaintively?
I would humbly suggest Alexander Isak.
In the last six seasons that the coveted Isak has played for Real Sociedad, and latterly, Newcastle he has scored 70 goals in 170 appearances, with 11 assists at the time of writing.
He netted 21 goals in 30 games last term. Figures, which supplanted to Arsenal last term in favour of Jesus’ pallid total of four league goals in 27, would surely have seen the Gunners win the league title for the first time in 21 long years.
Sweeping away supposition, I covered Brentford’s cracking 4-2 victory over a fast-fading, and utterly underwhelming Newcastle side on Saturday.
As an aside it was such a shame we lost to arguably their best performance of the season up at St James’s Park last month, another three points dropped, but that’s a different story right now.
For Eddie Howe’s side were poor on Saturday. They also looked dejected, as the busy Bees overwhelmed them through their powerful attacking play.
During the match I had a conversation in the wet and windy Brentford press box as Storm Darragh blew through, with a colleague who also covers Arsenal. (Another journalist walked past us deep in conversation about The Arsenal before kick-off at Brentford, and joked: “Oh dear I’m walking through Arsenal corner” with a smiling reference to us and our team.)
Anyway, the upshot was whether I thought Isak would be a good signing for Arsenal.
Instinctively I said no.
This was because I was brought up in the parsimonious George Graham era, where every penny the club spent on transfers felt like it was spending your own money.
The reason being that I’m just not sure spending £80m+ Arsenal doesn’t really have for Newcastle’s striker would be good value in January.
However, knock £20m to £30m off that total by mitigating the fee with add ons and good old bargaining prowess (whatever happened to a spot of bargaining?), and I think Isak would be a good deal.
To be honest, I didn’t realise he was still only a young 25, as he won’t be 26 until next September, so a four year deal would only bring him up until he was 29.
On closer inspection on Saturday, I have to say he isn’t the ‘Fox-in-the-Box’ type goalscorer many are longing-for (who is these days?) but his technical ability is superb, he has pace and presence, and works hard. Arteta’s sine quo non to use a bit of Latin.
He also has an eye for a goal, as witnessed by him scoring with an excellent finish, even if he squandered a far easier chance by wanting to walk the ball into the net.
Quite simply, this Arsenal side needs an addition up front.
You can’t go against 150 years of perceived wisdom by wining the league without a goalscorer up front. It’s as simple as that.
Unfortunately, Jesus certainly isn’t the savour anymore.
And as much as Kai Havertz works hard, and surprises us with more goals than we expected, alas, he isn’t the forward we are looking for to break the lines, with pace and artistry.
Generally, I’m not a fan of moving for a big name player in the January window, but it’s quite clear on Sunday’s evidence at Fulham, that if we have serious designs to finally win the league, we must bolster our resources up front.
First and foremost to add firepower and goals to our game, secondly to give our whole squad a big boost, and thirdly to put Jesus out of his misery while also making a spot of profit by selling our false (goalscoring) prophet to a club in Saudi that is looking for another high profile Premier League departure.
What do you think? I’m genuinely interested to hear your take on Isak?
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PS:
See tomorrow on here for my take on Arsenal Women’s very excellent 4-0 win over Aston Villa, including highlight the utterly brilliant sports photographer Suzy Lycett’s outstanding photos from the match, exclusively for the Gooner Fanzine.
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DAILY LIST
I - Finish off my latest Mundial long-form feature
II - Work out how to get the fence up that blew over during Storm Darragh, without, a) annoying the neighbours too much, and b), without costing too much
III - Work out how to fix the dents in my Goonermobile car door after I drove into a metal post, while attempting to turn onto the Fulham Palace Road from where I’d parked, after the game yesterday.
Capping yet another wonderful afternoon in SW6…
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PPS:
For reasons too convoluted to explain here, and to protect the guilty, I ended up obtaining a ticket high up in Fulham’s brand, spanking new Riverside Stand.
Very nice it was too, you could see amazing views of London’s incredible skyline, including The City, such as Tower 42, as well as The Shard. You could also see St Paul’s Cathedral.
Although, to be fair, it did feel a bit like watching the NBA at Madison Square Gardens, or NBA at Dodgers Stadium, where there is a constant flux of spectators moving around and not fully focusing on the match.
Some ‘fans’ got to their seats half an hour into the match, while others around me left before half time never to be seen again.
There wasn’t much passion there either.
Which, while it made my life easier behind enemy lines (try doing it as Spurs as I’ve done a few times over the years, where you take your life in your hands simply being there) it didn’t make much of an atmosphere.
Mind you the concourses were packed, with bars, stallholders and merch doing a roaring trade.
Perhaps that’s the future of the Premier League. Passive consumers who spend a fortune on club fayre, while not really understanding - or caring - exactly what is going on down below on the pitch.
I hope not, but it felt that way from where I was sitting in the Riverside Stand.
