Arsenal supporters, along with Mikel Arteta, are all united in spending the international break in the same way. We hope all the players return to London Colney without injury.
This sense of despair was compounded by the fact that Martin Odegaard suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in his left knee in last weekend’s game against West Ham.
The Norwegian midfielder was back to his best, scoring for Bukayo Saka against Olympiakos three days ago, but he will now be sidelined for at least a few weeks, which could be a huge blow to the Premier League leaders.
So which player should Arteta use in Odegaard’s absence, and why is he the player who can get the most out of Arsenal’s hottest signing of the summer, Victor Gökeres?
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High expectations were placed on Goqueres, who joined from Sporting Clube de Portugal for a club-record fee of around £65 million and scored an astonishing 97 goals in just 102 games for the Lisbon-based giants.
The widely held narrative is that all Arsenal need to reach the next level is a top-class No. 9, but perhaps they haven’t had one since the days of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
So far, Gokeres has scored just three goals in 10 appearances for the Gunners, scoring twice on his home Premier League debut against Leeds and later scoring in Nottingham Forest’s visit to north London.
But the Sweden international has missed four big chances set by Opta in the Premier League and three in the Champions League, evidence of the zeitgeist that he probably should have scored more goals.
Nevertheless, Gokeres is a player who needs service in order to develop, which is highlighted by the fact that he averages the lowest number of touches of any Arsenal outfield player who has played 90 minutes this season, at just 24.1.
With Arsenal’s four Premier League games coming against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sunderland between this international break and the next, many will be expecting Gokeres to pile up the goals, but which team-mates will be able to get the best out of him?
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In the recent match against West Ham, Arteta achieved what many were asking for by using Odegaard and Ebelesi Eze side-by-side in central roles for the first time.
The experiment didn’t last long, however, as it took place a week after Eze successfully broke through the midfield against Newcastle. Many believed at the time that Arteta would target a more defensive trio of Martin Zvimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, as he had at Anfield.
Now that Odegaard has spent time in the treatment room, Eze must be given the keys to this team, becoming a key figure for the Gunners and likely to be tasked with breaking down the low block every three weeks, a task that often proves to be their kryptonite.
When he signed for the club in August, sporting director Andrea Berta described the England international as a “creative and explosive player”, while Arteta described him as a “powerful and exciting player” who “gives a new dimension to our attacking game”.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish called his former star ‘sensational’ on talkSPORT, praising both his quality on the pitch, his character and dedication.
Now, since moving from south London to north London, Eze has already shown his qualities, scoring his first goal for the Gunners in an EFL Cup match in Port Vale last month.
The statistics below also show what Eze added to his new team.
As outlined, despite limited playing time, Eze instantly established himself as a creative force within Arsenal’s squad.
Statistics since King Arsenal | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics per 90 | Eze | arsenal rank |
shot | 2.8 | 1st place |
shot on target | 1.13 | 1st place |
Shooting on target % | 46.2% | 5th place |
progressive path | 5.23 | 8th place |
The action that creates the shot | 3.83 | 3rd place |
Action to set goals | 0.68 | 4th place |
dribbling success | 1.3 | 3rd place |
Take-on success rate | 61.5% | 1st place* |
*Minimum of 10 challenges will be attempted. | ||
Statistics by FBref and SofaScore | ||
No other player averages more shots on target per 90 points, but he also ranks higher in terms of chance creation and dribbling.
He created 11 big chances in the Premier League for Crystal Palace last season, but his ability in this department has so far been best demonstrated in Arsenal colors by his stunning assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s goal to save a draw against Manchester City.
This pass clearly shows how he can get the most out of Gokeres. The Swede is effective when running into open spaces, which led to his first goal against Leeds A, but his teammates are often hesitant to play early passes as they are still adjusting to implanting such a striker into their team.
Of course, Eze himself is a newcomer, but he seems to be best equipped to provide Gökeres with the services it needs.
Saturday’s game against Craven Cottage will require Eze to be utilized high up in the middle and as close to Gokeres as possible. This is because maximizing the advantages of both sides will be the key to Arsenal winning the Premier League title.
