Unai Emery is convinced he can get even more from his £100million strike force despite the 30 goals Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have provided between them this season.
The two strikers, the most expensive signings in Arsenal's history, have been among Emery's best peformers this season, with Aubameyang in the running for the Premier League golden boot and Lacazette having become one of the top flight's most complete forwards and the Gunners top assist provider.
At a time when many Premier League sides only use one central striker Emery has increasingly deployed Aubameyang and Lacazette as a pair up front to impressive returns. The duo were instrumental in wins over Manchester United and Rennes before the international break and could reprise their partnership against Everton on Sunday after the former overcame the high temperature which confined him to the substitutes bench for Monday's win over Newcastle.
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"My target is to have in my team a [quality] striker, but above all, to give them possibilities to score, doing one thing offensively," Emery said.
"With the possibility of getting into the box with the ball and the player, every striker has developed with me in the past.
"I am very happy now, but I am very, very demanding of them to continue scoring, to continue creating chances, and also scoring for them, because all of the good things for them - individual scoring targets - is what's best for the team. I did that in the past and in the present with them…
"In training I said to them, 'When I have one ball, in training, I imagine you'll score one goal, every time. Score, score, score'.
"That's my mentality – I push them with this mentality. That's the best development for them and for the team."
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Emery has had plenty of impressive forwards in his sides during his managerial career, most notably the formidable trio of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe in his final season at Paris Saint-Germain.
But few if any have had a bond as close as Aubameyang and Lacazette, who invariably seek each other out to celebrate when one of them finds the net and who seem to relish the others' success as much as their own.
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"I had at Valencia, [David] Villa and [Fernando] Morientes, I had [Roberto] Soldado and [Artiz] Aduriz; I had in Sevilla [Kevin] Gamiero and [Carlos] Bacca, I had at Paris Saint-Germain, Cavani and Mbappe. Here I have Aubameyang and 'Laca'. It's perfect.
"Sometimes you need to play both, with two strikers, and sometimes you can play with one player wide, and sometimes you can play with another on the bench. I have the habit to have two strikers, or three strikers.
"Also in Spain at Sevilla I worked with Bacca, Gamiero and Iago Aspas. Three strikers. I want to play and have the best players. Here, with Aubameyang and Lacazette I am very happy with them.
"They are scoring, they are playing both [roles], they are playing sometimes one behind the other, sometimes one's suspended.
"If there's an injury you have another, and we also have [Eddie] Nketiah working for the possibility to help us when one player or Aubameyang or Laca cannot play.
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"Each striker has his qualities and characteristics, but one is similar. They are strikers and score a lot of goals. All of them. That's Villa, Negredo, Carlos Bacca, Gamiero, Cavani, Morientes, and Soldado, and now here Lacazette and Aubameyang.
"It's the same. But we need a lot of good passes, good crosses, to give them the best option to score in the box.
"For me, for now, we, Arsenal, can be proud that both are with us."
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