Arsenal’s £52m fiasco is fast becoming an even worse signing than Gokeres

Alarm bells are ringing at Arsenal.

Indeed, Mikel Arteta’s side still remain four points clear at the top of the Premier League, but they dropped points for the third consecutive game on Sunday.

To make matters worse, the North Londoners lost to Manchester United, making it just the third game in the league that they failed to score from open play.

Arsenal are still in control, but their attack is a major concern and there is one player who appears to be having an even worse season than Victor Gökeres.

Why Arsenal’s attack is struggling

Arsenal may look in flux in the Champions League, but they are definitely not in the Premier League and the numbers prove it.

For example, the Gunners have scored a very impressive 42 goals so far, the second most in the league, but only 22 of those goals have come from open play, which is only eighth best.

Now, some may say that it doesn’t matter what the goals are, but the past three games in which the North Londoners have had one goal in their favor, with one own goal, suggest otherwise.

Things get even more interesting when you take a closer look at the statistics. According to FOTmob, Arteta’s side have amassed 40.5 expected goals so far this season, the fourth-highest in the league, but only 1.1 fewer expected goals than top scorers Manchester City.

Additionally, the Gunners average 4.9 shots on target per game compared to City’s 5.1. They created 68 big chances compared to 73 for City. They missed 46 shots to City’s 48.

In other words, while it’s true that Arteta’s side haven’t created as many chances as their arch-rivals this year, it’s also true that they haven’t been as clinical with the chances they’ve created as some of their opponents.

For example, according to SofaScore, United had an expected goals average of 0.71 and created two big chances on Sunday, but escaped with three goals.

On the other hand, the hosts’ expected goals per game was 1.19, but that was due to a series of low-probability shots, resulting in only one big chance.

In other words, it’s a combination of not creating enough important chances and squandering the ones that have gotten Arsenal to this position, and the same can be said for one of their summer signings who has struggled even more than Gokeres.

Arsenal’s contract was worse than Gokeres’

There is no denying that Gokeres has struggled for Arsenal this season.

However, despite all the criticism he received, much of it justified, he still racked up a record of nine goals and one assist.

Unfortunately for Arteta, another of his summer signings, Noni Madueke, doesn’t get involved in goal enough to mask his poor form.

Yes, the former Chelsea star, who joined the club for around £52 million in the summer, has come under fire recently for his underwhelming and often frustrating performances.

Accurately described by author Adam Keyes as an “agent of chaos”, the winger excels at getting behind opposition defenders and penetrating into the box.

But, as was incredibly evident in his cameo against United, he is very prone to squandering the chances he creates.

Whether it’s putting the ball out of play, overhitting a pass or simply letting a shot go wide, the Englishman’s lack of end product is a major cause for concern.

Sure, he scored two great goals against Club Brugge and also scored against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but his form in the Premier League has been too poor.

In the game against the Red Devils, he kept a clean sheet in 25 games in a row, a worrying statistic for a midfielder, let alone a winger brought in to add something to a title-chasing team.

At the end of the day, Madueke’s skill is undeniable, but if he doesn’t find some sort of end product soon, all the frustration Arsenal fans have been leveling at Gokeres in recent months will fall on him.