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So, I don't really get this. Havertz is out for an extended period, so they're bringing Eze in?
I assume Gyökeres will start most of out games as the #9, but who's his backup while Havertz is recovering? Eze? Or is the plan to move someone like Martinelli to the middle and have Eze move out to the wing? It can't be to move Odegaard to a false 9 and have Eze play in Odegaard's right 8 role, can it?
I just don't see how losing Havertz and signing Eze are connected.
It's because Arteta has always fundamentally seen Havertz as an attacking midfielder. Yes, he played him up front last season (before the injury). But even then he was more of a necessity and in lieu of a real front man. Eze is a very different kind of player than Havertz on visit. But they both play in the same general position.
If it was me I'd have been looking for a backup striker regardless. Aside from Gyorkeres we only really have Jesus as a true striker, and he has a terrible injury record. But am I pumped that we're getting Eze? Hell yes I am! He's a low block breaker, a chaos-maker, a supremely skillful free spirit, and a game changer. He can play on the left wing, or in the central left channel, or in the central right spot. Hell, he'd be a good option as a stand-in striker in a pinch. This is a big big signing for us, and it will solve s lot of problems.
So, you think he's going to take minutes from the captain?
I don't see him as a great stand-in striker, he's never played there, AFAIK. He's played a bit as a left winger, but not much. And, if he did play there he'd probably tuck inside because he's fundamentally a central player. And, if he tucks inside, just like the left fullback does, there's nobody providing width on the left.
What problems do you think this signing solves? I think he's a great player, but I don't really see where he fits in the team, and who we have to take out to accommodate him.
No, I don't by think he's going to to take minutes off Odegaard. But he can play there if we need him to (i.e. if we have injuries, which happened last season). He's never played as a striker? Okay. Neither had Merino. And I am sure Eze would be a better candidate for that role than Mikel (which is saying something considering how admirably Mikel filled in there).
He could rotate in with Rice if needed too, again if there's an injury to Rice (or Zubimendi). But I agree, I think he'll primarily play on the left wing, like he did with Palace. If he tucks in on that wing we'd need to adjust it play a little. But that's okay. Gyorkeres tends to drift out to the left naturally, so they could compliment each other really well. Viktor drifting there and creating space for Eze to exploit, and then going back into the middle to receive a short pass inside the area.
Here are the problems he solves:
He's never played as a striker? Okay. Neither had Merino.
And Merino proved that Arsenal needed to spend big to get a striker. He was decent for a player playing out of position, but he was nowhere near as good as a real striker who had spent their career learning that position. If Eze is signed and plays as a striker, you know things have really gone off the rails.
I think he'll primarily play on the left wing, like he did with Palace.
Where do you get the idea he played on the wing? With Palace he played on the left wing twice last season. The rest of the time he was playing centrally.
Gyorkeres tends to drift out to the left naturally
He drifts into the channel between the CB and FB on the left. He doesn't drift all the way to the wing very often because he's a striker. That's also the channel where Eze would want to operate as a left-sided central attacking midfielder, and just in front of where MLS and Calafiori want to operate as inverting FBs. That means you could end up with a situation where that left-central area of the pitch is really crowded and nobody is providing width on the left wing.
More cover for the left wing
Only if he's played out of position.
Cover across the entire front line
He's not a front-line player. He has only rarely played left wing, he's not a striker, and he hasn't played right wing. He plays behind the front line as a central attacking midfielder. If he's being bought so he can play out of position, that seems like a bad idea, doesn't it?
he could full that role with Rice or Gyorkeres
If he's playing in his preferred position it will be instead of Rice, so he won't be able to exchange passes with Rice.
It seems to me like signing him would add quality to the team, and provide depth. But, his preferred position is one where Arsenal is already strong. His best role is left-8 / left-10, which means he'd be playing in Rice's current position. Rice could play at #6, but then the newest signing for that position would have to be dropped, and he's already showing how good he is.
If he's being bought as a left winger, it seems like a gamble to buy someone to play outside their preferred position, especially someone aged 27, who is unlikely to easily retrain for a new position.
My guess is Merino up top and Eze frees him up lol
That's the only central midfielder who I think might play as a striker. But, obviously you don't need to bring in Eze to make that happen.
I like Eze, but this doesn't really make much sense to me. You'd think that, given that Arsenal might already want a left winger, this would mean the focus would shift to a left winger who could play as a striker. Someone in the style of Sadio Mane, Lukas Podolksi, Franck Ribery, etc.
I'm a bit concerned that Arsenal is becoming more and more right-sided. If Eze comes and plays on the left, he'll probably drift inside because he's fundamentally more of a central player. Arsenal's left back also shifts to a central position, which means that nobody's providing width on the left.