WHISPER it quietly, but this Arsenal side are finally fun to watch, aren’t they?
In Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, boss Mikel Arteta is blessed with a truly special attacking trio of classy footballers who have everything he craves.
Thomas Partey got the early goal but Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli caused Leicester problems Credit: Getty
Alexandre Lacazette may have given it the shush after his goal but was too quiet again Credit: AFP And don’t forget the Croydon De Bruyne, Emile Smith Rowe, off the bench, too.
Saka’s confidence is so high it’s now overflowing – and his partners in attack are reaping the rewards.
Against Leicester, Saka and Martinelli were on it from the first whistle, running at pace, terrifying the Foxes full-backs and putting on a spectacle.
Odegaard added the finishing touches, the classy vision and execution most others inside the Emirates this afternoon could only dream of.
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Paul Merson’s Odegaard u-turn, Fabian Ruiz ENCOURAGEMENT – Leicester latest To be fair, it does help when you have magnets in your boots.
But for all their slick attacks and the minutes of action missed as those in front of us in the press box were out of their seats time and time again, there seemed to be one missing link.
Alexandre Lacazette wasn’t really… involved.
The out-of-contract Frenchman may have stuck his penalty away, sometimes draws others in and is now the stand-in captain… but plenty of others can do that just as well.
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What Arsenal need is a proper goalscorer.
Lacazette’s penalty was just his fourth goal in the Premier League this season and first since Boxing Day.
No disrespect – but the others came against Crystal Palace, Southampton and another spot-kick past Norwich. That speaks volumes.
Find themselves a TRULY world-class No9 in the summer and this team may well just about be complete for the next phase of this Arteta rebuild.
Yes, they are not at Manchester City or Liverpool’s quality or strength in depth.
But for a team focusing on retaining their regular place in the Champions League, a lethal finisher is the missing piece in this ever-evolving jigsaw.
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Alexander Isak has been linked, as has Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has Premier League experience, and both fit the profile the club would want to fit into this attack – young, hungry, exciting.
Both of those would cost in excess of £50million – plus they would likely want to recruit elsewhere with central midfielders Youri Tielemans and Ruben Neves linked.
Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema both go into the final year of their respective deals at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid next season.
They proved to devastating effect in the Champions League just how much quality they still possess this week – even Micah Richards sees it now.
And with the futures of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe potentially threatening one – if not both – of their guaranteed starting spots, could Arsenal tempt them to move to London?
Yes, they would have to finish in the top four to have any hope, of course – but at this rate will do that.
Yes, they would need to partially rip up their transfer policy to bring in another 30-something centre-forward.
Yes, Lewandowski or Benzema would want big wages, offset by potentially sealing a cut-price transfer fee.
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Chelsea fans display Abramovich banner after Russian is sanctioned But guaranteed goals and a genuine great striker to learn off could be a masterstroke with frightening rewards – rather than the potential risk of someone like Isak.
As I say, it’s not necessarily the Arsenal model and they may not want to go in that direction – but it is surely worth asking the question.
Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick in midweek but could be replaced by Kylian Mbappe Credit: Getty Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
