Berta Has Let Arteta Down With Arsenal Striker Decision
· GiveMeSport
Injury concerns over Kai Havertz raise doubts about Arsenal's transfer strategy and striker depth for the season.
The Gunners strengthened a reasonable amount during the summer, with Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa the two big-name additions for Mikel Arteta.
Christos Tzolis arrived at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal's only attacking signing, with the Gunners failing to bring in a new striker.
Viktor Gyokeres and Havertz are Arteta's two main striker options for the first half of the campaign, but it's been the latter who has been the primary centre-forward so far this season.
Arsenal did win the Premier League title last season, which possibly hints that they didn't need too many reinforcements. The issue is, teams around them have strengthened, so Arsenal may have left themselves a little short in the market.
One decision Arsenal could now live to regret is not signing a striker.
Havertz recently suffered a hamstring injury, and although it's been deemed 'not serious' , it could be a concern for the Gunners.
This certainly isn't the first time the German international has suffered an injury, and he's clearly a player you can't rely on when it comes to muscle problems.
Last season, Havertz missed a total of 41 games through injury, and 24 the season before. His injury history should have been a major concern for the Gunners heading into this season, but they opted against signing a new centre-forward.
Havertz might return from injury in time for Arsenal's next Premier League game, but it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if he continues to struggle over the coming months.
Arteta clearly sees Havertz as the main centre-forward at the club, with Gyokeres struggling to receive regular minutes for Arsenal this season.
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with Germany.
Although Gyokeres scored a reasonable number of goals in the Premier League in the previous campaign, his all-round game isn't in the same league as Havertz's.
The Swedish forward struggles when it comes to holding the ball up and bringing others into play, and doesn't suit the style Arteta wants to implement.
Failing to sign a striker in the summer could come back to bite them, especially if Havertz misses even half the number of games he missed last season.
Gyokeres is clearly short of confidence and not playing at the required level for Arsenal when given the opportunity, so any further injuries to Havertz could be devastating.
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