Arsenal are not yet being linked with many strikers ahead of the summer transfer window, but could that be an area they need to seriously think about strengthening after missing out on the Premier League title?
The Gunners have spread the goals around their squad a lot this season, with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka reaching double figures despite playing in midfield and out wide, respectively.
Still, is the return of just ten league goals from summer signing Gabriel Jesus a cause for concern? It is when you look at how much he’s under-performed his expected goals, according to Opta stats man Orbinho…
Biggest underperformance on Expected Goals
-4.6 Bamford
-4.0 Havertz
-3.9 Willock
-3.9 Bowen
-3.8 Vardy
-3.7 Maupay
-3.5 Nketiah
-3.5 Gabriel Jesus— Orbinho (@Orbinho) May 16, 2023
Eddie Nketiah, who filled in for Jesus while he was out injured, also seems to have a similar problem, with the expected goals metric suggesting they’re missing the kinds of chances they’d be expected to put away.
Of course, Jesus provides more than just goals, with his work rate and creativity making him a similar kind of figure that Roberto Firmino was for some of Liverpool’s best teams in recent years, but there is surely room for a 20-25-goal-a-season player in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Erling Haaland has been instrumental for Man City as they close in on another title, with the Norwegian scoring a remarkable 36 league goals. While it won’t be easy for AFC to find someone like that, they surely need to be aiming a little higher than Jesus and Nketiah, unless they can work on their finishing ahead of next season.