New Delhi: Mikel Arteta’s frontline had a terrible time on the pitch against Manchester United, as a flurry of squandered opportunities lost them a spot in the fourth round. After being held 1-1 by United in the FA Cup’s third round and missing out on penalties on Sunday, Arsenal were unable to capitalize on the fact that the Red Devils played for around an hour with just 10 men. One of their major issues from the past few seasons came back to haunt them and as the game progressed it only got worse for the Gunners.
It was only the 40th minute of the game when Gabriel Jesus suffered an injury, which forced him out of the pitch as Sterling replaced him. The Brzilian has a pretty bad past when it comes to injuries and he has missed over 30 games for both club and country ever since he made his move to Arsenal back in 2022. The Brazilian is naturally a centre forward who can play anywhere upfront and Arteta was using him on the flanks during the game against United. However, his availability has been a big issue for the Gunners that suggests Arteta can’t trust his fitness and make him the first striker.
What led to this thought? Well, it’s Kai Havertz and wastefulness in front of the goal that was quite evident in the game against United. He missed absolute sitters last night, that suggested the German is just not a suitable candidate for the number nine role. Havertz may have managed to fire a few goals last season with 14 in all competitions, but that cannot change the fact that the killer instinct and the sharpness is not quite there for the German.
Havertz is not a natural number nine
Kai Havertz vs Manchester United:
• 120 Minutes Played
• 0 Goals
• 0 Assists
• 2 Big chances missed
• 1 Penalty missed (shootout)65 MILLION Great British pounds… pic.twitter.com/XOZmVNNv0b
— Ed 🇮🇹 (Fan) (@TheMarescaEra) January 12, 2025
To be fair, you can’t really blame Havertz for these performances when it is pretty clear that the German is not a natural striker. There was a moment in the game that proved how under-confident the German has been in front of goal when Harry Maguire failed to clear Martinelli’s cross properly, giving Merino the ball less than eight yards from Bayindir’s goal. Unable to turn around, the Spaniard passed to Havertz, who scooped his initial close-range attempt high and wide of the goal.
He was involved in another incident that saw him scoop the ball over the bar yet again from a close range, just two yards from the goal after chesting it down in an awkward way. These two opportunities costed Arsenal the game. However, all these led to a horror show of a night for Havertz at Emirates which got even worse after he saw his penalty get saved by the palms of Bayindir during the shootout. He never looked confident while taking that penalty and it is fair to say that his performance during the normal time certainly had a role in that.
So what next for Havertz and Arsenal? There’s no doubt about the fact that Arteta needs a change in the offensive lineup and he needs to take a call as soon as possible. The January transfer would require him to sign a proper number nine who can deliver the goods for the team. However, in case they bring in a new forward, Havertz can be shifted to a more offensive midfielder role, which is his natural position. Mikel Arteta has made his plan clear about the German, saying that he loves what Havertz brings to the team.
When asked about what he said to Havertz after the game, Arteta said: “To him and to all of them, that I love them, that we all love them individually and as a team they are a joy.”
This suggests that he is willing to put his faith on Havertz and shifting his role might just do the trick for Arsenal. Playing him alongside Martin Odegaard in that midfield might the solve the issue for the under-confident German. In that case, they need to invest in the January transfer to bring in a striker so they can fit Havertz in the midfield role. Going back to his Bayer Leverkusen days, he established himself as an attacking midfielder who can score as well as assist, and he was a complete menace for the opposing Bundesliga sides.
Who should Arsenal go for this January?
As the transfer window approaches, Arsenal should be looking at some of the options that can tdo the goalscoring job for them. Some of these options are already linked with Gunners for a while now. Although Mikel Arteta has stated that the transfer isn’t in his hands, but it would certainly be a good idea for him to convince the club in bringing in the firepower that they need. Alexander Isak has been linked with the Gunners for a few seasons now and it seems likely that Arsenal would like to push Newcastle to get his signature.
The Swedish international has an unbelievable goal scoring record for Newcastle and with 13 goals to his name already this season, he would be a massive addistion to the squad in case Arsenal sign him. Other options include the goal scoring monster of Sporting CP, another swede international Viktor Gyokeres who has already scored 21 times in the league this season.
Randall Kolo Muani is a player who is being linked with top English clubs like Manchester United and Tottenham. Arsenal can certainly have their bids ready for the French forward this January. Meanwhile, getting the signature of RB Leipzig’s striker Benjamin Sesko would also be a good addition to the squad for Mikel Arteta.
Kai Havertz had a night to forget at Emirates against Manchester United in the third round of FA Cup. So what should be the next call for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, with January Transfer Window approaching? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
