Could Alexander Isak solve Arsenal’s striker dilemma?

Tactical trends are helping football evolve constantly but the modern game has arguably seen the biggest breakaway from the norm to date. Coaches are the people with the power to create change, and nobody has done that quite like Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City boss has forever altered the perception of fullbacks but also made waves in terms of the way the striker is viewed.

If football is predominantly about goals, then the striker is the most important player on the pitch. It stands to reason that they cost the most to buy and earn the most, too. The idea that a great striker is paramount to a club’s success has been taken for granted but ever since his first season as a top level coach at Barcelona, Guardiola has been muddying those particular waters.

Lionel Messi, a former wide playmaker, began playing centrally in 2008/09 but maintained his freedom to drop deep and, despite arguments over its origins, the ‘false nine’ was born.

Now, wingers and attacking midfielders have begun to play up front and strikers outside, the fences between positions are falling. Guardiola is not solely responsible for this but he is a trend-setter and trend-setters have followers. Over a decade later, the Spaniard is hurtling towards a fourth Premier League title without a recognised striker in his ranks.

His creative players are adding good totals while Gabriel Jesus, the one recognised ‘number 9’ on his books, is thriving out wide. A failed bid to sign Harry Kane seems insignificant. It is highly unlikely that they will return for him this summer, too.

But this new way of looking at strikers had an adverse effect on player development. Top level strikers in their peak are few and far between, with the previous generation, from Robert Lewandowski to Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema, unchallenged well into their 30s.

But Erling Haaland, arguably the most wanted footballer on the planet, is leading a striker resurgence. Borussia Dortmund will eventually sell their prized asset but only one buyer can be found, so others will have to look elsewhere. Fortunately, there are a few cheaper gems emerging too.

Arsenal’s obvious need for a striker, given the decreasing chance of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang staying beyond the summer and Alexandre Lacazette’s contract situation, has put them in prime contention for Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic.

The 21-year-old Serbian is in superb form in Serie A, scoring 16 goals in 20 games this season; a move to the Premier League seems destined for his future. If City are to return to the realms strikers, he would surely be high up on his list.

For an alternative, there is always Real Sociedad and Sweden striker Alexander Isak. A highly-rated Swede, the 22-year-old is no stranger to the pressure of potential, having been earmarked as Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s heir on the international scene. He’d had big moves, heading for Dortmund as a teenager but then had to take a step back and appeared to have found his calling in Spain, scoring 17 goals in 34 games last season.

There have been tougher times this year, just four in 17 matches, during a campaign which at one stage looked like bringing the most unlikely of title charges to San Sebastián. Now may be the best time for him to find an exit strategy. Without doubt, Isak needs to prove he can find consistency at the highest level, but there is every expectation he will.

Footballers careers are not linear, One good season does not guarantee a better one the next. On a personal note, Isak is evidence of that. But he has proven his quality in La Liga and caught the eye of English audiences in the summer at Euro 2020. Big, strong, skilful and a great finisher, Isak represents hope for strikers of tomorrow at the elite level, just like Haaland and Vlahovic.

He would also represent a cheaper alternative to both and, although that would most likely mean less of a guaranteed immediate impact, there would be reason to get excited if Arsenal or anybody else were to prise him away from Real Sociedad this summer.

Whatever happens, it is a relief to see strikers are coming back strongly. The breakdown between positions has been fascinating, and people like Guardiola are undoubtedly deserving of being called geniuses for their influence on football as a whole, but scoring goals, and dreaming about goals, is what it should all be about. It is important that clubs have faith in the next generation as they find their feet, because players like Isak will only go from strength to strength.

 

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