This season has felt like something of a slog for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side have seemingly gone from one talking point to another over the last six months, be that dodgy decisions, injuries to key players or a lack of attacking signings in the winter transfer window.
The last two have left the team looking incredibly thin in the frontline, with Kai Havertz being the latest addition to the ever-growing injury list following a suspected muscle problem picked up in Dubai.
The German international has come in for plenty of criticism over the last few months, and while he’s a key player for the team, he’s currently being outperformed by someone Arteta let go for nothing.
Arsenal's slim attacking options
So, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and now Havertz all out of action, Arsenal’s frontline options look precariously thin.
Out wide, he only has two senior wingers to choose from in Leandro Trossard, who has 11 goal involvements in 36 games this season, and Raheem Sterling, with a disappointing haul of one goal and two assists in 18 appearances.
Fortunately, academy star Ethan Nwaneri has shown he’s more than capable of contributing to the first team this season, racking up a sensational tally of seven goals in just 700 minutes of action across 23 appearances.
Up top, there is even less of a choice for Arteta, as following reports of Havertz’s recent injury, Trossard is the only senior option left who has played as centre-forward, and even then, that is not a position he appears to be all that comfortable in.
The former Chelsea ace’s potential absence could be a serious problem, as while Understat’s data revealing he’s underperformed his expected goals in the league by 2.76 demonstrates he can be profligate at times, he’s still done an alright job leading the line.
For example, in 34 appearances, totalling 2776 minutes, the Aachen-born poacher has scored 15 goals and provided five assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.7 games, or every 138.8 minutes.
That said, while Havertz is doing a better job than he perhaps gets credit for, he’s still being outperformed by a striker let go by the club for nothing three years ago.
The former Arsenal star outperforming Havertz
Arteta has seen his fair share of strikers leave Arsenal since taking charge, like Alexandre Lacazette, who moved back to Lyon, and Eddie Nketiah, who moved to South London to join Crystal Palace.
However, the forward in question is former club captain Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, who left the club for free in the 2022 winter transfer window after scoring 92 goals and providing 20 assists in 163 appearances, which was enough for Saka to brand him a “legend”.
The next few years would see the Gabonese star play for Barcelona, Chelsea and Marseille, where he did unbelievably well, producing 41 goal involvements in just 51 appearances last season, which was also enough to earn a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah, where he has kept up his good form.
In fact, the former star of the Emirates has already scored 12 goals and provided two assists in just 20 appearances, totalling 1784 minutes this season.
That means he’s maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.42 games, or every 127.42 minutes, which is a better average than Havertz has managed for the Gunners this term.
Appearances
51
20
Minutes
4005′
1784′
Goals
30
12
Assists
11
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.80
0.70
Minutes per Goal Involvement
97.68′
127.42′
Now, while the level of football in Saudi Arabia is obviously far lower than that of the Premier League, the 35-year-old sharpshooter was tearing things up in a top-five league only last season, so there is every chance he could still be doing a job in England.
Ultimately, Havertz has been doing reasonably well this season, but we can’t help imagining just how different things might have been had Arteta and Aubameyang been able to reconcile their differences in 2022.
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