Why Arsenal signing Deulofeu would be a waste of money
According to BBC football analyst Garth Crooks, Watford winger Gerard Deulofeu should be playing for Arsenal.
The Spaniard was in fine form in their last game against Norwich City, as he scored the opener to win 2-0. This was Watford’s first league win this season, as the Hornets ended an 11-match winless streak in the English top-tier.
Deulofeu has now scored in back-to-back appearances for Watford. He scored his first goal of the season in their 1-2 loss against Chelsea earlier.
The former Barcelona player was the Hornets’ main man last season, as he netted ten goals and provided five assists to help his side finish 11th.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are in a state of turmoil as they slumped to sixth after losing 2-0 to second-placed Leicester City. Manager Unai Emery has received the stick after a string of inconsistent displays.
With the loss to the Foxes marking their fourth league game without a win, the Frenchman’s future is certainly in doubt.
However, it remains to be seen if Deulofeu, who joined Watford for £11.5m, would be a good bargain for a club in pursuit of a Champions League berth.
No dearth in the attack
If Deulofeu does move to Arsenal, it would not be the wisest of choices.
Arsenal have no dearth in attacking options, with the Gunners even shelling out a club-record £72m to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille OSC in the summer.
Even if one takes Pepe out of the equation, the Gunners still have plenty of attacking options in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Bukayo Sako and Reiss Nelson.
Pepe has struggled to adjust to English conditions since his arrival from France but he is progressing slowly, as suggested by his one goal and two assists.
Maitland-Niles, 22, has announced his arrival with two assists in the league this season whereas Sako and Nelson have one each to their name.
With Arsenal already having so many attacking options at their disposal, signing the versatile Deulofeu would be unnecessary.
Defensive woes
For the Gunners, the real issue is their weak defence. Unai Emery’s side has conceded more goals (17) than what they have scored (16) this season.
The Gunners’ defensive woes were clearly visible when they squandered a lead in each of their last 4 games. Except Sokratis, none of the Arsenal defenders has put up a decent display.
Summer signing David Luiz has been inconsistent and erratic. As a result, Emery has preferred to deploy a Rob Holding-Shkodran Mustafi combination for their Europa League fixtures.
This constant change in the backline has affected the team’s tempo and rhythm.
Emery’s policy of two defensive combinations for two different competitions has proven to be a total mishap, given the number of goals they have conceded in the league thus far.
Verdict
Deulofeu, known for his pace and trickery, would be a worthy addition to any Premier League squad.
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However, Arsenal already have someone of the same stature in Pepe and Deulofeu’s inclusion would be just an added baggage.
Hence Garth Crooks’ suggestion seems to be rather strange and inappropriate, considering the prevailing conditions at the Emirates.