Wednesday night's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool was something of a sobering affair for Arsenal. The Gunners were able to keep Jurgen Klopp's men largely at arm's length for the first 50 minutes as the two sides danced around each other like heavyweight boxers trying to figure each other out early in a fight. In the space of a couple of minutes though it was the Reds who landed the knockout blow.
Thiago's misplaced backpass was seized upon by Alexandre Lacazette who squared it back to Martin Odegaard only for the Norwegian to fire a shot lacking conviction off Alisson and out for a corner. Almost immediately after Diogo Jota went down the other end, found space in the right channel and fired in a low effort that caught out Aaron Ramsdale at his near post, before Roberto Firmino flicked home a second minutes later to effectively end the contest. Game over.
After the match Mikel Arteta was in no doubt over where the match had been won and lost. "The way the boys performed showed their courage to play the way we wanted to play, the intensity, the understanding of the game, they really raised their level today," he said in his post-match press conference. "But unfortunately these games are won in the boxes and that was critical difference today not to get anything out of this game, unfortunately." As is typical the Spaniard's assessment was accurate, and it's fascinating to consider what this means for their summer transfer business.
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It is no secret that Arsenal need a striker. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having left to join Barcelona that month, Eddie Nketiah likely to also leave when his contract expires this summer, Flo Balogun not quite looking ready during his loan spell at Middlesbrough and Gabriel Martinelli looking at his best on the wing there is scope for a new 'number nine' in the squad.
To make matters even more pressing Lacazette is still currently scheduled to depart the Emirates when his deal runs out this summer. The Frenchman has had an interesting last few months to say the least. With seven assists in nine games he has proved himself to be Arsenal's most consistent creative force since Mesut Ozil left the club, but the limitations to his game have also been painfully clear.
Lacazette has just one goal in 2022 - a penalty in Sunday's win over Leicester - and against Liverpool it was clear to see why. There were a few occasions were Gabriel Martinelli was able to dribble beyond Trent Alexander-Arnold to the byline and look to cut the ball back for someone to tap in. Each time though Lacazette was found wanting when it came to movement in the box to free himself of the attentions of Joel Matip and Virgil Van Dijk.
The Frenchman has so much of what Arteta seems to want in a striker. His ability to provide a focal point to attacks has been key to getting the best out of the likes of Martinelli, Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe this season, while his leadership qualities in this young squad have been greatly appreciated. At the same time though he lacks the decisive goalscoring instinct that Arsenal need to compete with the very top teams.
This is why they are in the market for a striker who can essentially do what Lacazette does while also providing the clinical edge in tight games. For a short while in the January transfer window, it appeared they might have found it. Dusan Vlahovic was a target for Edu as the Gunners looked to find their long term solution up front and on paper it's easy to see why.
When it comes to the physical presence and link up abilities the Serbian has them in abundance. This presence up front provides an instant get out of jail free card when teams look to press high as Liverpool did the other night. On top of that though he is also capable of scoring goals aplenty and matches Cristiano Ronaldo's Serie A record for the most goals scored in a calendar year in 2021.
Unfortunately though, he ended up moving from Fiorentina to Juventus instead of coming to the Emirates. It is thought that a desire to play in the Champions League played a big part in this, and while Arsenal were battling with Liverpool on Wednesday night he was in action for the Old Lady during their round of 16 tie against Villarreal.
On the night Vlahovic showed exactly why Arsene Wenger has rated him among the most exciting young talents in the game with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Forming a striking duo with Alvaro Morata up front he forged plenty of chances for himself against Unai Emery's men, hitting the crossbar once and forcing a fine close range save from Geronino Rulli with another effort. Sadly for him though he wasn't able to convert any and ultimately ended up on the losing side as Juve collapsed spectacularly late on to lose 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.
As Arsenal look to get close to competing in the competition where Vlahovic is now, finding an alternative to him is going to be key this summer. Arteta has already admitted that big games are decided in the boxes, and signing someone as effective as the Serbian could be the difference against elite opponents.
