Arsenal drew at home to Premier League champions Liverpool on Thursday night, extending their lead at the top of the table to six points.
The overwhelming mood after that? Disappointed. Frustrated. This was one of the Gunners’ dullest and most ineffective attacks of the season, with neither team able to muster the equivalent of a single goal in xG.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability that a shot will result in a goal.
But it’s hard to be overly critical. After all, Arsenal hit the Emirates turf with a five-game winning streak in the Premier League, catapulting them into contention after a tough winter that left many of their rivals stranded.
But closest rivals Manchester City have just announced Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo as their bright new signing for January, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping to match that.
Arsenal in contract talks with Prem talent
Ahead of the start of games in January, Arteta said he and Arsenal technical director Andrea Berta were “actively looking” for ways to improve the first-team squad.
After all, it’s been 22 years since the Gunners won a Premier League title and with them in such a strong midfield position, this game is too good to miss.
Arsenal could use a little more firepower in attack. Victor Gokeres hasn’t hit his stride since joining in the summer, while Gabriel Martinelli extended his barren streak of goals and assists to 12 against Liverpool.
Still, this is a top team and any improvement could be consistent with plans to remain at the top for many years. Perhaps that’s why Berta is calling on Wolves’ prospect Matheus Mane.
According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are in fact in talks to sign the 18-year-old winger this month, but Rob Edwards has no intention of selling him.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are potential rivals in this battle, but with Martinelli fooling around and Leandro Trossard turning 31 in December, the Portuguese-born winger could see a path to big time in north London.
What Mane will add to Arsenal
Mane has been a hot topic at Molineux lately. The England U18 international has scored in back-to-back Premier League games for Wolves and Edwards hailed his “sensational” development since stepping up from the academy.
His ability to collect the ball without slowing down at Hill Dickinson highlighted Mane’s potential. Here are some players who have the potential to become famous among England’s football-mad families in the future.
Much has been said about the dull and direct atmosphere of this season’s Premier League, but forwards like Mane are getting fans out of their seats. It’s like Saka in the first half against Liverpool, sprinting all over the place, beating opponents and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The right-footed Mane has shown he can emulate that in the short term and could easily replace Martinelli in the first team if Arteta can help him get to the top.
The 24-year-old was once dubbed the “talent of the century” by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, but has failed to make an impact in recent years as he has been unable to keep up with Arteta’s ferocious pursuit of glory.
Gabriel Martinelli’s Premier League career | ||
|---|---|---|
season | app | Goal + Assist |
25/26 | 16 | 1 + 0 |
24/25 | 33 | 8+4 |
23/24 | 35 | 6+4 |
22/23 | 36 | 15+6 |
21/22 | 29 | 6+6 |
20/21 | 14 | 2+1 |
19/20 | 14 | 3+0 |
Dates via Transfermarkt | ||
It wasn’t just that I got lost in front of the goal. According to Sofascore, the Brazil international has yet to create any big chances in the Premier League this season, but on average he completes a successful dribble once every two games.
Mane is still young, quick and fearless. He has won five duels in each of his last two Premier League games, showing a wide range of technical qualities beyond his composure before finishing in the danger zone. As journalist Bence Boksak said, he is a “special” player.
It is clearly too early to start claiming that Mane will replace Martinelli in Arsenal’s starting XI, but he has all the ingredients to play a role in the coming years before reaching physical and technical apotheosis under one of the most intelligent and astute tacticians in the game.
If Martinelli doesn’t change his ideas, his chances will diminish.
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Victor Gokeres has been a thorn in Arsenal’s side this season.
