Alexis experiment proves Arsenal fans right – they need to spend!

Soi Keo For English

NhanDinh.vn – The Chile international cut a frustrated figure in the goalless draw against Leicester City as Arsene Wenger continues to come under pressure

“Is Sanchez a long-term solution through the middle? I think yes. I think it is worth to try as he has the quality to go behind. On the flanks he uses a lot of energy by chasing back and I would like to use his energy sometimes a bit more efficiently by going behind the defenders as he is a good finisher. He has similar qualities to Luis Suarez. He is technically top.”
Alexis Sanchez is no centre forward, that’s for sure. After comparing him to Barcelona striker Suarez before the game, Arsene Wenger started the Chilean upfront in Arsenal’s match against Leicester City, and while his chasing down and commitment was unmatched, it remains clear that he is being wasted out of position for a team who have yet to buy a much-needed centre forward.
Wenger even named injured striker Yaya Sanogo as a player who is capable of being involved in first team matters this season, despite the fact the Frenchman only played 47 minutes across six months on loan at Dutch giants Ajax. There are others including Danny Welbeck – who will return from injury at around Christmas time – and Chuba Akpom, the 20-year-old starlet who scored four goals in four consecutive pre-season games, but realistically neither are the ready made option that Arsenal require.
Leicester supporters were keen to remind the Arsenal fans about Jamie Vardy’s decision to sign a new contract with Claudio Ranieri’s side instead of moving to the red side of north London. “Vardy is a blue, he hates Arsenal” followed  by “Riyad Mahrez, he thinks you’re s***” summed up the lack of transfer business at Emirates Stadium this summer.
Although Mahrez was never really a target for Wenger, when you consider that Vardy was the first striker on Arsenal’s hitlist this summer it rings home just how much of a crushing blow his rejection has been for the Frenchman. Even more so when you take an overview of the players Arsenal have looked at since – and failed to bring in. Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette have all been and gone, with the latter currently priced at 70 million euros following a spike in interest.
One natural striker Arsenal do have is Olivier Giroud, who spent much of the second half warming up on the sidelines watching his team-mates struggle to muster up clear-cut opportunities against a resilient Foxes outfit who showed similar steely defending to last season. The Frenchman was brought back into the squad following his Euro 2016 excursions and would have been the ideal frontman to play in a three alongside Sanchez and Theo Walcott. The introduction of Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere on 72 minutes was exactly the kind of substitute needed to penetrate the Leicester midfield, who put up a resolute performance for most of the game.
Wenger can certainly take a few positives out of this game. The performance of Rob Holding was mightily impressive when you factor in that he’s 20-year-old and starting in only his second ever Premier League game. Selected ahead of the considerably more experienced Calum Chambers, the former Bolton youngster stood up well against Vardy and showed great composure in his distribution and reading of the game. However, it shouldn’t stop Wenger from bringing in that experienced centre-back in the form of Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi.
“Spend some f*****g money” was chanted by the Arsenal fans for a second game in a row during the final few minutes of what proved to be an entertaining stalemate. It’s a remark which may not be refined or articulate, but it’s certainly one shared by the majority of Arsenal supporters present at the King Power on Saturday evening – and many more. With less than two weeks to go until the transfer market closes, there remains the distinct possibility that the chant will be sung again before the season ends.