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Arsenal are in panic mode again. This usually happens before their customary run of form in January and an inevitable FA Cup run will once again shore up a mess of a season, maybe.
Maybe, it will be worse and Arsene Wenger with all his experience will not be able to pull up this squad of players. There is almost no question that this squad needs to be reshaped. Arsenal are a club on the decline and the only way to do that is to build the team in a very different way.
There needs to be steel and commitment on the Arsenal side who, while not really short in quality do lack a strong backbone and the ability to rack up consistent performances.
When you factor in the possibility that Arsenal's two most influential players- Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez are on the verge of leaving the club- one would realize the North London club is in big trouble.
The goalkeeping slot is the only one which is completely reliable although whispers abound that Petr Cech might not be at an acceptable level much longer.
In short, Wenger staying or going will not in any way alter the requirement of major surgery on the squad.
Some queries have finally been met; Alexander Lacazette filling the need for a quality striker and providing depth for a squad that was over-reliant on an unreliable Olivier Giroud and an increasingly unhappy Alexis and Özil.
#5 Paco Alcacer
The Barcelona forward is in good form. There are, however, many issues that do not exactly pertain to his playing ability that might determine his future at Barcelona.
Alcacer has played himself into reckoning at the Blaugrana but it is difficult to see how the young Spaniard get enough time on the pitch.
Two seasons ago, Alcacer was one of Spain's hottest properties and it is not a stretch to imagine that a little confidence will return him to the higher reaches of his ability.
While Arsenal has invested in Lacazette as their primary centre-forward, the potential departure of Alexis Sanchez means that Arsenal will be short of proper out and out attacking players again.
Alcacer is a centre-forward and would increase Wenger's options up front. While Lacazette has hit the ground running, Giroud is now nearing the wrong side of thirty and can leave Arsenal woefully short of options up front.
Their other backup Danny Welbeck seems to be fit once in six months and the Gunners would do well to get Alcacer from Barcelona, especially as he is returning to form.
Alcacer made his name at Valencia, for whom he appeared 93 times and scored 30 goals.
#4 Benjamin Pavard (VfB Stuttgart)
Who? That is the question many people were asking when Pavard was named in the latest French squad.
The 6'1" central-defender began his youth career in his native country at Jeamount in France and moved to LOSC Lille for whom he played in the B side and for whom he finally made his senior debut.
He 21 appearances in the 2015-16 season but was sold to VFB Stuttgart in the 2.Bundesliga. Stuttgart had been recently relegated and they rallied to come back to the Bundesliga as champions & Pavard was an important part of the side's title challenge.
Fairly quick and with good aerial ability and height, Pavard is someone who could figure in Arsenal's backline.
They might need to focus on giving him time because the Frenchman is only 21. He is strong and has a good sense of positioning completing a large number of tackles in the league.
Pavard has been noted as one of the most impressive players this season and that attracted the interest of Didier Deschamps who called the young man into the senior squad.
Arsenal has constantly had issues with their defenders and with Per Mertesacker on his last legs and with Laurent Koscielny the only reliable but injury prone defender, Pavard could be a great addition in the long term and the short term as he provides depth to a depleted area of the squad.
#3 Emil Forsberg (RB Leipzig)
The Swede was linked constantly with a move to Barcelona in summer but RB Leipzig chose to keep him at the club against his wishes. Forsberg has not explicitly stated his wish to leave but his agent has been rather open about Forsberg's desire to move from Leipzig, who are once more doing a great job in the Bundesliga.
Forsberg has done well at the beginning of the season and looks set to stay one of the better wingers around for a while
Forsberg dismissed speculation linking him to Manchester United in the summer in the hope of a move to Catalunya which eventually failed to materialize.
However, after Barcelona went after different targets and Forsberg not being linked away to them or Real Madrid, this might be a good time for the Gunners to test the waters.
The Swedish player is a very different player from Özil, whose creativity Forsberg would have to match. Despite this Forsberg brings results and with a forward like Lacazette up front, Forsberg could relish his role at Arsenal.
The only concern though is his questionable loyalty or at least that of his agent. So if they do get him in, Arsenal would do well to convince Forsberg to sack his agent! They could do without having another player talking about his desire to leave.
#2 Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
The Napoli playmaker-cum winger is diminutive- literally standing at only 5'4" tall and a lightweight at 59 kg. That has stopped him from being absolutely awesome.
Insigne has consistently been one of Napoli's best players for over two seasons. He has often gone under the radar and unless one is a keen observer of the Italian league or a deep observer of the game, Insigne rarely pops out as a big name.
Statistics indicate that Insigne at 25, is the perfect player to replace Mesut Özil. One of the most influential players in the Napoli squad, he will not come cheap but he is in fact ranked higher in terms of chances created over the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Özil himself.
Insigne's style of play suits the attacking fluid football Arsene Wenger ideally likes to employ in his sides. He is in many ways a like for like replacement for Ozil and also possesses a decent goal threat.
The Italian international could be one of the best signings Arsenal make if they convince him to sign the dotted line.
His only weakness is his physicality and a concern whether he could match up to the demanding English game.
He has survived in Italy though and Italy has a reputation for being tough to operate in,even if it does harbour a slightly slower style of football.
#1 Nabil Fekir (Lyon)
Another potential Arsenal player, another Frenchman. Alexis Sanchez plays on the wings or through the centre and cuts inside the box to score. Nabil Fekir plays on the wings or as a playmaker, cuts inside the box and scores.
Fekir is an ideal replacement for Sanchez as a goal-scoring creative winger.
He began his career in Lyon and has been at Olympique Lyonnais, graduating from their youth system. He made his debut in 2013-14 and had a breakthrough year the following season- 2014/15 when he was named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and in the Team of the Year in Ligue 1.
Injury hampered his progress but he returned in 2016/17 and picked up from where he had left off, once more becoming a key part of the Lyon side that reached the Europa League semi-final. Fekir was named the captain at the French club earlier this season and has begun the campaign in scintillating fashion, scoring 11 in 11 Ligue 1 appearances so far.
He has already been linked to a move to the Premier League with Arsenal rumoured to be his preferred choice of club. A hard-worker with bags of flair, Fekir is an unusual talent in the sense that he has the attitude of a grafter and the skill set of a flair player.
One of the qualities that set him apart from Sanchez is his visible passion which was on display in the derby against Saint-Etienne when Fekir took off his shirt his shirt after increasing the lead for Lyon in an away fixture. This sparked a huge protest by Saint-Etienne fans and the stadium had to be emptied.
This clearly shows that he could do with better judgment but the sentiment will endear him to supporters.
