Arsenal narrowly beat Girona in the Champions League on Wednesday night, producing a performance that will alarm Mikel Arteta in regard to his striking options.
Arteta was forced to rest Kai Havertz for the clash in Northern Spain, with the German evidently suffering from fatigue in recent matches.
Leandro Trossard was deployed up front in the former Chelsea man’s absence, and delivered a meek display.
Havertz can’t play every single minute for the remainder of the season, while a striker signing doesn’t appear imminent.
Thus, Arteta may have to look at alternative internal solutions to fill this role, and there’s one staring him in the face.
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Mikel Arteta should use Ethan Nwaneri as a striker for Arsenal
While Trossard has impressed as a false nine previously at Arsenal, the Belgian certainly didn’t deliver in this role against Girona.
Naturally a winger, the ex-Brighton man regularly vacated central areas to take up wide positions, leaving Arsenal with minimal presence or threat in the box.
When he did get into good shooting positions, while striking the bar on one occasion, he was largely wasteful with his efforts on goal.
Meanwhile, Ethan Nwaneri sparkled on the night, scoring a spectacular goal from outside the box.
Arteta praised Nwaneri after the game for his finishing ability, with the teenager adding a sixth goal to his growing tally this season.
“It’s very natural for him,” the Arsenal boss said.
“You can see the way he takes the touches, how he beats people and then the technique he’s got, he’s so precise in his finishing, put him a lot of times in that situation and the outcome will be good.”
Arteta ought to use these comments to inform the way he views the pecking order up front.
Trossard’s form has improved on the left in recent weeks, while he doesn’t look comfortable down the middle.
He should therefore be kept out wide, and Nwaneri should be trialled as Havertz’ striker deputy.
As Arteta alluded to, Nwaneri has the ball-striking and precision in his shooting which would translate well to the number nine position.
The 17-year-old is also comfortable in central areas, unlike Trossard, so would be capable of dropping into the pockets to facilitate build-up play.
While Nwaneri as a striker isn’t a guaranteed success, and is far from an ideal solution, Arteta must experiment with it in these trying times.
Gabriel Martinelli should also be a striker option for Arsenal
Havertz is likely to take the bulk of the striker minutes, but having a few other options up his sleeve is integral for Arteta.
Alongside Nwaneri, Gabriel Martinelli could also be used in this role.
The Brazilian spent time at centre-forward in his debut campaign in North London, and flashed signs of brilliance in the process.
The 23-year-old’s primary assets are his movement, finishing and pressing, making his skillset well suited to playing up front.
Similarly to Nwaneri, Martinelli as a striker isn’t the preferred solution in many scenarios, but it’s worth trying.
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