“He’s now playing like Harry Kane, I regret letting him go”: Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says selling 17-year-old striker was the biggest mistake he has ever made in his entire career
Arsenal secured passage to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second successive season this week, but away from Europe, it would be hard to describe the campaign as anything other than a disappointment.
Mikel Arteta’s side wanted to finally end their wait for a Premier League title at the third time of asking this year, but as things stand, they sit 15 points off leaders Liverpool.
Moreover, instead of making amends for their poor form in the domestic cups in recent seasons, the Gunners crashed out of the FA Cup in the Third Round and were soundly beaten by Newcastle United in the League Cup Semi-Finals.
There are two primary, somewhat interlinked reasons why things have gone wrong this term: injuries and a lack of a cut-throat centre-forward.
Both problems could have been addressed in the winter transfer window but weren’t, and to make matters worse, a striker Arteta let go for nothing a few years ago has recently won comparisons to Harry Kane, of all people.
Why Arsenal are desperate for a striker
So, there are three reasons why Arsenal are in such desperate need of a new striker, with the most apparent, at the moment anyway, being injuries.
The Gunners’ two centre-forward options, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, are out of action for the rest of the campaign, and the latter won’t be fit again until next year.
However, even when they are fit, neither one can be relied upon to be a consistent scorer of goals, which is the second reason the team needs a new number nine.
For example, the Brazilian international found the back of the net on seven occasions in 27 appearances this season, while the German did marginally better, scoring 15 goals in 34 games.
This lack of clinical cutting edge up top brings us to the third reason why the North Londoners find themselves in their current predicament: a severe lack of investment in the forward line.
According to figures from The Athletic, since taking the job in December 2019, Arteta has spent around £299.2m on defenders and goalkeepers, £275.4m on midfielders and £140m on forwards, which includes the £65m spent on Havertz.
On top of not spending enough on attackers, he’s also let plenty leave, including a striker who outscored the entire Arsenal team last season and has been compared to Kane this year.
The former Arsenal star compared to Kane
When it comes to former Arsenal attackers who have gone on to thrive since leaving in recent years, Alexandre Lacazette, who left for nothing in 2022, is certainly near the very top of that list.
Before we look at how he fared last season and how he’s doing this year, it’s worth examining this comparison to Kane and where it has come from.
The comparison stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the most similar forward to the Lyon star.
