Arsenal are yet to see one of their central midfielders score a goal so far in the Premier League this season. The share of goals have come from attacking positions or from the wing.
This is one of the reasons why Arsenal have lacked goals under Mikel Arteta as the reliance on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or other members of the attack is very high.
Following Matteo Guendouzi’s brace at the weekend for Marseille, it puts the situation into perspective on how the Gunners are missing out on a scoring threat from deep.
Arsenal’s best central midfielder, Thomas Partey, is yet to score a goal for the club since his £45 million move from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020.
The midfielder has taken 35 shots so far in the league this season but his shooting accuracy is only 14% with just five of these attempts being on target.
Despite his excellent all-round ability where he has been sensational since his return to the side after recovering from an injury suffered in pre-season, his reliance on contributing to the attacking phase of play shouldn’t be a factor.
However, the Gunners would have a perfect balance in the squad if Guendouzi was to return and play in a pivot alongside the Ghanaian.
Marseille’s Ligue 1 victory over Lorient on Sunday evening showed that the France international is capable of contributing to the attack after also adding an assist to his brace in what was a magnificent performance.
The midfielder's performances away on loan so far have potentially changed the opinion of Mikel Arteta who looked to set to sell him.
Speaking in a pre-match press conference about Guendouzi, Arteta said: "For right now, he's gone for the season. I think he's having a really good spell at Marseille, and it's part of the plan we made with him. He's continued with his development and we'll make a decision at the end of the year.”
Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga are the north London club’s current central-midfielders who have featured alongside Thomas Partey this season.
Sambi Lokonga is yet to provide a goal contribution for Arsenal since signing in the summer, whilst Xhaka is only a threat from set-pieces.
The club’s lack of goal threat could be another one of many reasons why it will be necessary for Arsenal to give Guendouzi his space back in the side for next season.
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