Every club is looking for a prolific striker who can be relied upon on the big occasion, strikes fear into the opposition and will be available for a low cost, so replacing Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang could be a nightmare for Arsenal.
The BBC recently looked at the possibility of Arsenal’s FA Cup hero moving on, so it’s natural to think about a possible replacement.
Arsenal’s problem is that they don’t have the appeal or the resources to go out and sign a proven world class striker, so they’ll need to take a chance on someone at a lower level or a player who’s out of favour.
With that in mind, here’s a look at five potential targets for Mikel Arteta this summer:
Luka Jovic – Real Madrid
It’s painfully obvious that the Serbian striker made the big move too early in his career, and he’s only found the headlines for being out of form or for ignoring quarantine protocols on a return to Serbia.
He’s only 22 so there’s plenty of time for him to turn things around, but if he continues on his downward spiral then he could end up being remembered as a one season wonder.
He scored 27 times for Frankfurt in the 18/19 season which included an inspired run in the Europa League – a competition that Arsenal will want to excel in after qualifying through the FA Cup.
He’s only managed 2 in 26 for Real Madrid so something’s gone wrong, but at his best he’s got the movement to pull defences apart, while his touch and clinical ability in front of goal looked world class.
This would be a punt and the fans might not accept it, but there’s clearly a talented player in there.
Odsonne Edouard – Celtic
While armchair fans will stick rigidly to their belief that the Scottish Premiership is a farmer’s league, the success of Kieran Tierney shows that there are bargains to be had.
Odsonne Edouard will follow him by excelling at a bigger club when he moves on, and Arsenal could be the perfect fit.
The club have a proud history of developing French strikers and Edouard already has everything you want in a top level forward. He’s physical, fast, his touch is fantastic while he’s not selfish either, but he’s deadly in the box too.
He’s already shown his quality in Europe, the Scottish Premiership and for France at U21 level, and you would back him to be a success at Arsenal too.
Moussa Dembele – Lyon
Another player who is thriving after moving on from Celtic, Dembele has shown that he can do it in the Champions League and in Ligue 1 too.
He’s been around for a while but he’s still only 24, while he’s scored 42 goals over his past two years with Lyon.
Lyon had a tough season last year and won’t play in European competition for the first time in a long time next season, while Ligue 1 finishing early has placed an additional financial burden on their clubs.
He’s ready for yet another step up, and his confidence and quality in front of goal should result in plenty of goals if he moved on to Arsenal.
Arkadiusz Milik – Napoli
It’s likely that replacing Aubameyang’s goals will need to be a team effort, so it’s very possible that Arteta will change his style to bring the best out of the attacking midfield players.
The Polish striker would be more similar to Olivier Giroud in style as he likes to play with his back to goal and his big threat comes through the air, but he’s also smart enough to bring other players into play by acting like a target man for the team.
Signing Milik would open up space for others so the likes of Lacazette and Pepe would have chances to get beyond him and provide the goal scoring threat from out wide.
There’s no doubt that signing the Napoli man would need to be greeted with a total change in approach, but it shouldn’t be ruled out.
Anthony Martial – Man United
A few things would need to happen first for this to happen, but the emergence of Mason Greenwood has raised some serious questions about Martial’s future at Old Trafford.
If United sign Jadon Sancho or someone else to play on the right, then Martial could be forced onto the bench and a sale would be possible.
Arsenal and Man United have shown a willingness to trade in the past, and Martial would bring pace and composure through the centre for Mikel Arteta.
This would also allow Arsenal to have Martial and Lacazette interchange from the left wing which would confuse defences, while Martial could also thrive if he’s seen as the main man at Arsenal.
Obviously the Arsenal fans will hope that Aubameyang decides to stay, but it is time to start thinking ahead in case he does move on.