Gyokeres, Havertz, and the Nwaneri loan move

Morning.

I think we’re all entitled to a relatively quiet day (in football terms at least) after how hectic the recent schedule has been. Four away games have brought three wins and a draw, and now we look forward to some home ‘comfort’ for the next couple. Obviously Man United on Sunday is the big one, but we also have a Champions League tie against FC Kairat on Wednesday which should be a game where Mikel Arteta can rotate heavily in before we go away again.

I was pleased for Viktor Gyokeres after his goal against Inter. Whatever assessment you make of him, I think pretty much everyone would agree that he looks a player a bit low on confidence, the great intangible when it comes to forwards in particular. I know he scored, and got an assist, against Chelsea last week, but a scrappy 1 yard goal after the keeper has made an absolute howler isn’t the same as banging one in from 25 yards at the San Siro. I think you could see from how distinct the two celebrations were which one meant more to him.

It’s not at all to downplay an important goal in a semi-final of a cup competition against a London rival, but ask yourself which one you think he’d take more from as a player, and it’s got to be this week’s strike. What we’ve got is a player who will never be as elegant or swashbuckling as our ideal vision of an Arsenal striker, but if he can score goals with greater frequency than he has been, our chances of winning things increase exponentially. So, I hope this has really provided a boost for him and we see the benefits of that going forward.

I’m also looking at this week, and the next two games, to see what they tell us about Kai Havertz. I think there was probably a good case to be made that he should have replaced Gabriel Jesus for the final 15-20 minutes, as we try and ease him back into action. Maybe the fact it was a tight game at that point (2-1) played a part in Mikel Arteta’s thinking, but it did make me wonder if he’s not quite as ready as we’d like him to be. United on Sunday is a game for the players who are most physically fit and match sharp, and after so long out, unless we have it in the bag, or desperately need something late on, I don’t know how much he’ll be involved.

Kairat on Wednesday though, that’s the kind of game where, if he’s ready for it, you can start him, or at least give him substantial minutes in the second half. I hope we can do that, because we need all hands on deck between now and May, especially if the squad is going to be a man light from where it is now with the loan departure of Ethan Nwaneri to Marseille.

Speaking of which, he travelled to France yesterday to complete the move, and I have to say I think it’s important for him to go and play at this point his career. Arteta said after the Inter game:

Ethan’s not playing the minutes that he probably deserves and needs at his age. We have a massive talent there and we really need to look after it.

The reporting around this suggests that they view the needs of Marseille and the style of Roberto de Zerbi as important factors, and the reality is that when someone like Eberechi Eze is struggling for minutes in recent times, it’s not unusual at all that an 18 year old – no matter how talented – will find themselves a bit peripheral when we have a squad as big as this.

So, first and foremost, there’s the playing time he needs to continue his development. Hopefully he can stake his claim for a place there and perform well enough to be selected regularly. The more he plays, the better, but there are other benefits too. Experiencing a different kind of pressure from a fanbase that is certainly … er … strident, at times, will be something he has to deal with, and I’m convinced that part of the reason this deal is to expand Nwaneri’s horizons a bit.

He’s still only 18, he’s been at Arsenal his entire life, and while I wouldn’t call it a ‘comfort zone’, there’s familiarity in terms of schedule, routine and lifestyle which will now be challenged. Arteta, as a young player, left home in San Sebastian to live at La Masia as part of the Barcelona set-up, then left there to join PSG in France, before returning to Spain, going to Scotland, and then to England. I think he’ll be really big on the life experience this provides Ethan, a different country, a different culture, a new language which I’m sure he’ll be urged to learn despite the fact there will be plenty of English speakers there.

I saw some quotes doing the rounds about how William Saliba, who also had a spell on loan at Marseille, told Nwaneri what to expect from that club and those fans. He’s certainly going in with his eyes open, and while I don’t think Arsenal as a club have been particularly good at managing our loan players in recent years, I can see how this one could potentially really benefit him as a player and person, and in the end if that happens, it benefits us as a club when he returns to really push for greater involvement next season.

Right, that’s it for today. Gonna spend the rest of it seeing if I can figure out the difference between green and ice. Have a good one folks!

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