It took a while, but finally Mikel Arteta realized that he needs a new striker if Arsenal would win the Premier League – and the man he wanted to fire were Ollie Watkins.
Mail Sport broke the news that Arsenal had made a late dive for the Aston Villa striker, a immediately rejected, and it now looks more and more unlikely that they will get their husband now that teammate Jhon Duran has moved to Saudi Arabia.
Gabriel Jesus, the only attacker of the club, will be the side for the near future with a knee injury and Bukayo Saka is next to him with a thigh problem, so it's easy to see why Arteta might want some reinforcements.
The big implication, however, is that Arteta has decided that Kai Havertz is not the man she can still win the title.
Is Havertz the problem?
It was not until October that the documents that were written were about how Arteta's patience in Havertz is now bearing fruit. Four goals in his last five Premier League matches last season, including a brace against Chelsea and the winner in Tottenham, were followed by another six in his first 10 games in all matches this period.
Havertz came to Arsenal in the summer of 2023, but it was only in February that Arteta started playing him as the regular striker on his part.
Since then he scored 17 league goals. That is an honest return, but even, even the exception of punishments, that is less than the most important striker of Manchester City Erling Haaland, the most important striker of Newcastle Alexander Isak, the most important striker Yoanne Wissa van Brentford, the most important striker of the Striker Chris Wood.
However, it is the same number of non-penalty goals before this weekend as Mohamed Salah and, guess who, Ollie Watkins.
However, the vultures are out again, after Havertz missed two sitters against Manchester United in the FA Cup, only to see his penalty saved in the shooting when the Gunners crashed. He still wasted a huge chance against Newcastle in the first stage of the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
Havertz had three 'big chances' against Wolves, who defines Stat Gurus Opta as a situation in which a player is reasonably expected to score and all three missed.
He did not score twice against Spurs this season, twice Newcastle, Manchester United Twice, Liverpool and Chelsea.
It is clear that he is not the most ruthless frontman. His shot conversion statio since he goes in front is around 18.5 percent. Less than one in five of his shots goes in. Isak this season is better than one in four. Wood scores one in three. That is why Bos is still in top-four position.
Havertz's score rate is not terrible. It is not Bruno Fernandes Bad, who scores with one in 12 shots this season. In fact, this season it is not much worse than Haaland, which lingers around 20 percent. During his entire career in Liverpool, Salah's is only about 17 percent.
Haaland and Salah, however, get a hatred of opportunities. Havertz not.
Not all his mistake
As this column has previously been raised, Arsenal are not nearly close to title candidates when it comes to creating opportunities of open play.
Arsenal 205 of them had created for this weekend. That was only the eighth best in the competition, less than Fulham and only one more than the famous useless Manchester United.
Liverpool had made almost 70 more of a game. Man City, 85 more.
If Haaland or Salah miss a few, they get another one. That is not always the case with Havertz.
Haaland and Salah on average about four shots per match this season with two on goal. Havertz is on average about 2.5 shots with less than one on goal.
When seven of your last Premier League matches have been drawn or decided by a single goal, it is even more a need to have a striker who will take the chances when they come.
Is Watkins the answer?
There are few strikers that Arteta could sign with more Premier League goalscores family tree than Watkins. Since his debut for Villa in 2020, only Salah, Haaland, son Heung-Min and Harry Kane have scored more Premier League objectives. No other striker has so many assists.
However, it is not clear that Watkins is much more reluctant to the goal than Havertz.
In the past 12 months, Watkins has hit the target with 49 percent of his shots. Havertz did this with 47 percent of his. Watkins has scored 17 non-Penalty objectives. That's how Havertz has.
Watkins scored 19 percent of his shots. Havertz scored with 19 percent of his. Watkins has converted 36 percent of his great opportunities. Havertz has converted 40 percent of him.
The same figures, different reputation.
More than just goals
Arteta needs his striker to score more goals, but he also demands that they do much, much more than that. Arsenal is ruthless if they don't have the ball and that is where Havertz thrives.
Since he started playing in advance, no attacker has driven further than Havertz before this weekend. Only Dominic Calvert-Lewin won more air duels. Only Dominic Solanke and Isak did more pressure on their opponents in the last third part that led them to live the ball back.
Watkins and Havertz play different roles. Watkins spends most of his time in the middle and in the penalty area. Havertz drives deeper and to the right. He creates more for his teammates, he wins the ball back more often.
Remove oats and the entire Arsenal system collapses. Remove him and their title, literally, does not have the legs. Watkins put it in and would it have the same? Arteta could find a way to record both. With Saka wounded and Havertz still drives to the left, he could start a new man with Havertz who puts his thing on the wing.
Anyway, if Arsenal lends a new man to lead the line, whether or not it is Watkins, they must be ruthless and ruthless – and not just for the goal.
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