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Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes manager Mikel Arteta should try forward Nicolas Pépé in a false 9 role as the club adapt to life without star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang's deadline day move to Barcelona has left the side light upfront, with the club only having Alexander Lacazette and youngster Eddie Nketiah to call on.
And speaking on the Ringer FC podcast, Wright put forward his suggestion to fill the void:
“Play him as a false nine, play him in a role where he’s free and he can run at people. It seems to me that Mikel is doing something where he has to take a chance on that. "
He continued:
"Because I’m feeling that the goals are going to come from Emile Smith Rowe, Saka and hopefully Martinelli, and I’m not saying that any of them are proven like Aubameyang was, but we’re talking about someone who can frighten defenders and he can take half chances, we’ve seen that.”
The Ivorian forward has been out of favor at Arsenal in recent times, having not lived up to the hype since his £72 million move from Lille back in 2019.
But his performances at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he managed three goal contributions in four games for Ivory Coast, have opened up the possibility of Pépé being afforded more game time at the club.
Arsenal's need for a new striker
The Gabonese striker had not featured for Arsenal since December after falling out with manager Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard stated it was due to multiple disciplinary breaches that led to the decision. He was also subsequently stripped of the Arsenal captaincy. These factors led to the club allowing him to leave for Spain.
Aubameyang's departure leaves the side with a lack of numbers up front. His deadline day move to Barcelona has Arsenal in need of a replacement, but who could fill the void?
The club were heavily linked with Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović however the Fiorentina forward moved to Juventus.
Alexander Isak of Real Sociedad is another option. The Swedish 22-year-old continues to impress after his breakout performance at Euro 2020 last year. He should be near the top of Arteta's list.
The side could look at homegrown talent with many top English forwards beginning to come to the fore.
Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been regularly linked with a move to the Emirates and despite his injury-plagued campaign this season certainly has the credentials to be a success.
Ivan Toney, who has been instrumental in Brentford's rise to Premier League prominence, is a name that is starting to gain recognition.
Either way it is clear Arsenal need to go all in for a striker next summer as they look to position themselves once again among Europe's elite.
