One way or another, we need to sort out Alexis' future soon (within the next two weeks ideally). The only thing worse than selling him to Man City is selling him to Man City in late August after a protracted saga that was only ever going to end with him leaving. Give him until next Friday to sign a renewal or be sold immediately to the highest bidder. I know people get upset about selling to a rival, but given Man City's plans for a 300m spending spree, and the long rebuilding process ahead of us, we are not going to rivals to Man City for a while to come. Rip off the bandaid and move forward. The same applies to Ozil and Ox. If they haven't renewed by next Friday, sell them quickly.
Exactly my sentiments. I think Ozil will stay though. He is the type of player that needs coddling and Wenger coddles better than any manager in prem.
I don't get some of the criticism that Ozil gets on this board. He runs more than any other player at Arsenal, and is better positionally than anyone else at the club. The off the ball movement is superb, too.
If ozil stays and alexis leaves we are cool if we buy a quick inside forward and striker Welbeck is perfect for ozil
In theory more than practice. I really like Danny but he just doesn't deliver enough... he's just not a clinical striker when you need him to be. And I'm not even bringing up his serial injuries. Happy to be proven wrong by Mr.Welbeck, but I would never take a bet on him being that perfect target for Ozil, for most of next season... or any season frankly. Sanchez on the other hand...
Yeah, but then he flubs his shots. And you don't always have Bellerin right behind him to cleanup his mess, like he did against Everton.
Welbeck is perfect for the system if he could finish with any regularity. Love his intensity and constant movement. Think it plays very well with how Alexis & Ozil are playing behind him. Hopefully we can find a similar ST that can consistently finish his chances.
If Lucas stays, maybe there's still hope for him. You gotta figure that he'll be a regular starter in the EL, EFL & FA cups at least. Injuries aside, I agree that he never really had a real test this season, for any significant duration.
Yes, lets play a forward who at three different clubs never scored double digit league goals in his entire career because 'his runs suit' a playmaker who too has never score double digit league goals in his top level career. That is surely a recipe for Ozil and Welbeck to rack up a ton of assists and goals, respectively. No wonder Sanchez has to carry the productivity load.
Welbeck makes sense as a left sided player in certain types of games. Look how Arsenal bossed the 1st half with him. The problem remains the lack of a decent 9 Welbeck / elite 9 / Alexis could work.
There is no criticism of him in my post. Players have different personalities. You have the Keano types that play on hatred and pi$$ and vinegar. Then you have some that feel disrespected all the time and need to prove a point. Then you have some that need a hand around their back and a quiet word. I think Ozil is the later.
If you're playing a 3-4-3, makes more sense to have Alexis - 9 - Ozil. If we had a dynamic 6 next to Xhaka, that 9 could (and perhaps should) be Walcott. Mix and match with Alex Iwobi as appropriate. Why did we stop playing Iwobi, anyway?
Seemed to me he may have hit a personal wall in his development. His form & consistency dropped. And then he was dropped form the XI and sometimes the squad. I don't recall any significant injury.
I'm all for running with a quicker 9 vs the OG-esque target man but Walcott is far too inconsistent of a scorer. It would be no better than having Welbeck up top.
Welbeck does so much off the ball and helps the team Mandzukic won the cl with Bayern and is a starter on juve atm These types of players are necessary
Walcott's pace terrifies defenses and forces them to defend deep. He's also a pretty good finisher - 19 goals this season. Bigman's point about off the ball work in defense is a good one. Walcott tries to press, but it seems like it comes naturally to Welbeck in a way that it doesn't for Walcott.
Maybe he is a better finisher than I thought and I agree that his speed is dangerous. However, I stand by the idea that he is not suited to a central ST role. He either needs to be on the wing cutting in or the speedier guy that tends to drift wide in a 2 ST setup. As a lone striker he doesn't get it done.