When the Arsenal players trudged off the Emirates turf following their woefully poor 1-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Burnley in early December, the very worrying realisation that their experienced men cannot dig them out of a hole was confirmed.
Manager Mikel Arteta needed a creative spark in his forward line that was totally lacking in Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the suspended Nicolas Pepe.
Despite an eye-watering spend in previous transfer windows to revolutionise this Gunners front line, Arteta’s men looked bereft of ideas as Sean Dyche plundered north London.
Possible Arsenal XI
- Leno; Bellerin, Gabriel, Mari, Tierney; Elneny, Xhaka; Saka, Isco, Martinelli; Aubameyang
That defeat was perhaps the lowest moment of Arteta’s reign at Arsenal to date, yet just three weeks later and things are starting to look up for the boss. A decision to draft in the youngsters, especially in attack, has resulted in back-to-back victories over Chelsea and Brighton.
Suddenly the fight that was lacking during Arsenal’s eight-game domestic winless streak has returned in the youthful exuberance of Gabriel Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka.
Pepe, the club-record £72m arrival from Ligue 1 just 18 months ago, is nowhere to be seen. Lacazette himself was forced to make do with an appearance off the bench against Brighton, while Willian already seems to have justified Chelsea’s decision to offload him for free at the end of last season.
Arteta, though, won’t mind – so long as his youngsters continue to dazzle. Yet that won’t stop the Arsenal boss looking to add to his attacking ranks during this month’s transfer window. While clubs are unlikely to be spending mega money in January 2021, all are on the search for loan deals that could boost their seasons without impacting on the stretched bank balances.
And so once again the notion of Isco coming to the Premier League rears its head. The Real Madrid playmaker who for years has been loosely linked with a gamut of English sides finally looks set to enjoy a spell in post-Brexit Britain, with Arsenal front of the queue.
According to The Telegraph, Arteta and technical director Edu have identified Isco as a viable – and cheap – addition to the Arsenal squad. At 28 and with his contract expiring in 2022, Real reportedly want to sell him in the summer. A six-month loan deal with an option to buy makes sense for the Spaniards.
But does Isco arriving in north London actually work for Arsenal? Arteta seems happy with his anchor men Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny taking up the two core midfield spots, meaning Isco’s role at the Emirates would be tucked in behind the central striker.
Now, this is a position Arsenal have struggled with since Arteta moved to three attacking midfielders supporting the frontman. Smith Rowe has proved capable of doing the job, while Joe Willock has also played there. But Arteta doesn’t seem to trust Willian, Pepe, Saka or Martinelli to take up that position. Indeed, he likes to keep these names out wide. The boss also seems happy to scrap any lingering hope of having Aubameyang and Lacazette on the field at the same time.
What remains, therefore, is a Mesut Ozil-shaped hole in the position just behind the central striker. But with the Germany international off Arsenal’s list of Premier League players and almost certain to leave the club by the summer at the latest, he isn’t an option for the manager.
And that is why Isco, from being a transfer target that initially looks like a luxury arrival for Arteta, could in fact be a crucial addition to the Spaniard’s set-up.
Should he sign, the manager’s next job may be to get more than just Ozil out of the door.
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