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.
Arsenal's Kai Havertz with manager Mikel Arteta after being substituted
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.
Bayern Munich's Harry Kane during the warm up before the match
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.
Arsenal's Kai Havertz reacts
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.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
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.
Lacazette-Arsenal
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.
Lacazette & Kane
Statistics per 90
Lacazette
Kane
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.66
0.64
Progressive Carries
0.93
1.02
Progressive Passes
3.33
3.47
Goals per Shot
0.19
0.16
Goals per Shot on Target
0.32
0.38
Key Passes
1.36
1.33
Passes into the Penalty Area
1.30
1.43
Live Passes
23.6
23.5
Tackles Won
0.31
0.31
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season
The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, progressive carries and passes, goals per shot and shot on target, passes into the penalty area, key passes, tackles won and more, all per 90.
On top of being compared to arguably the best striker in world football, the veteran Lyon star has been in fine goalscoring form himself in recent years, finding the back of the net on 22 occasions in 35 games last season.
This year, the 33-year-old star has scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 32 games across all competitions, but in Ligue 1 specifically, he's produced nine goals and two assists in 22 appearances, totalling 1469 minutes.
In contrast, Havertz has scored nine goals and provided three assists in 21 league appearances.
However, he did so in 1842 minutes of football, meaning the French "goal machine," as dubbed by former teammate Sokratis, has been a more clinical forward than the German.
Ultimately, at the time, Arsenal probably did the right thing in letting Lacazette leave for free. Still, with hindsight and the knowledge that they failed to adequately invest in the attack since then, we reckon Arteta wouldn't mind having him back in the team.
0 Comments