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Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith feels Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not the type of player the Gunners need at the moment.
The north London outfit have been linked with a move for a new forward in the January transfer window considering their current situation. While Alexandre Lacazette continues to do well under Mikel Arteta, the Frenchman will be out of contract in the summer of 2022 and is expected to leave.
Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been frozen out by Arteta as well, so Arsenal are not exactly flush with options in the forward department.
Calvert-Lewin has progressed well at Everton, but Smith feels the England international is an old-school centre-forward who will not suit Arsenal
Smith said:
“I wouldn't say Calvert-Lewin is an ideal fit for Arsenal. In many ways he's an old-fashioned centre-forward and he loves balls being swung into the box.”
He added:
“That's not particularly Arsenal's game. It can be when they get the full-backs forward and you can imagine Kieran Tierney whipping in crosses from the left towards him. But he's not immediately what I would think of as an Arsenal centre-forward at the moment.”
Calvert-Lewin could turn out to be a panic-buy if Arsenal sign him
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has developed well at Everton following his debut a few seasons ago, but the forward isn’t what Arsenal need.
The Gunners are becoming a passing-oriented team under Arteta. Having signed some talented players last summer, they need more players of the same ilk. As Arsenal legend Alan Smith said Calvert-Lewin is perhaps a bit one-dimensional and may not be the best player for their build-up play in the attacking third.
The Everton forward is also not the most mobile of players, so his off-the-ball work ethic might hamper Arsenal under Arteta. Being English, Calvert-Lewin is also likely to cost a lot of money, so Arsenal need to be wise in the transfer window.
The Gunners have limited funds to work with and should look elsewhere to sign a new forward in January. If they are unable to identify a viable target, Arsenal could even wait until the summer.
