Paul Merson recommends Arsenal sign Romelu Lukaku.
Arsenal have been in good form this season. A top-four finish was a realistic target before the start of the season, but since then they have been consistently at the top of the league. With Mikel Arteta settling in perfectly and consistently getting results, their chances of ‘winning’ the title gradually increased.
Unfortunately, the dream never materialized. Starting with a loss to Manchester City in the second half of the season, they slipped a bit and lost the top spot to Man City, a position they held for nearly 250 days. Finally, a 0-1 loss at Nottingham Forest ended their title challenge.
While disappointing, it wasn’t a bad performance. Although it was a close call, it was still an accomplishment that far exceeded our original goal. Now it’s important to keep the momentum going.
That’s where we need to improve. Merson pointed to the lack of a goalie. This season, Arsenal’s attacking line consisted of Xhaka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus. All three have been solid performers, scoring more than 10 goals in the league, but none of them are dedicated to scoring goals. Even Jesús, who started at center forward, had a more expansive role than a specialized goal scorer.
The importance of a goalie has been proven by City’s form this season. After not having a clear-cut goalkeeper until last season, City added the final piece to the puzzle this season with the signing of Elling Holland. The addition of Holland completes an already strong offense. He scored 36 goals in the league this season, breaking all previous records.
This prompted Merson to call for the signing of a center forward. According to Football London, he said, “Arsenal need a center forward. We need someone who can score 25 goals a season. Jesus is a bit lacking in that regard. He’s a great player, but he can’t score as many goals as we need. He can play in all areas of the attack, so the arrival of a new player shouldn’t affect his position. Arsenal need to be stronger to compete with Man City.”안전놀이터
He went on to recommend a player. Originally, he highly recommended Brentford’s Ivan Toney, but with his recent suspension, he switched to another player. It was Lukaku. “Toni would be a good fit for Arsenal,” he said, “but he’s been suspended. Lukaku can take his place. He will definitely help Arsenal.”
Merson’s comments are a bit surprising. Sure, Lukaku is a good player, but his recent form hasn’t been great. He exploded onto the scene in 2020-21, but his form dropped significantly when he joined Chelsea in 2021-22. Despite a loan move to Inter Milan this season, he hasn’t been quite up to scratch with nine goals and five assists in the league.