Nothing summed Arsenal's attacking problems up more than when Viktor Gyokeres failed to pick his pass on the counter against Newcastle United last weekend.
What looked routine was quickly complicated by the Swede, whose place on the bench against Manchester City a week prior exposed where Mikel Arteta's trust lies.
Hincapie-Gabriel-Gyokeres-Arsenal
In the same week that Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and more attacking stars produced one of the greatest European games of all time, there should be understandable jealousy from North London.
From scintillating, they've been forced to watch desperately pragmatic in recent weeks, but all that could change with the addition of one big-money star this summer.
Arsenal's striker problem
The current argument around The Emirates centres around Gyokeres and Kai Havertz.
Arteta has been forced to take his pick in recent weeks, with the latter often winning the argument. But what if neither have the answer? That was certainly the case against Man City, even if Havertz's backside threatened to change the narrative courtesy of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Gyokeres-Arsenal-Arteta
Gyokeres, meanwhile, is yet to score a single goal against the current top six in the Premier League this season. He has become far too easy to mark out of a game when up against real quality.
It will feel like Groundhog Day for Arteta. Just last season, there was an idea that a big-money striker could solve all of Arsenal's problems.
Alas, when that big-money striker is in the bottom 26.5% for shots taken per 90, it becomes clear that the fix was never going to be as easy as that.
PL 25/26 P90 Gyokeres Havertz
Minutes 2,052 442
Goals 0.53 0.2
Assists 0 0.41
Shots 2.11 2.44
XG 0.46 0.51
Arteta has the right idea turning to Havertz. He is more mobile than Gyokeres and will get involved in deeper areas to bring others into play.
It's far more likely to get the best out of the likes of Bukayo Saka. Had it been the German on the counter against Newcastle, the conclusion would have likely been different.
Arsenal-Gyokeres-Havertz
But he still doesn't do enough in front of goal. Arsenal need the full package. They need a striker capable of linking play, before finishing that same move. Although finding that player may sound like an impossible task, the Gunners are far closer than they think.
How Berta can fix Arsenal's problems in attack
If Arteta could go back in time, then he would have instructed Andrea Berta to splash out on Julian Alvarez last summer. As it is, however, he'll have to settle for 12 months later.
julian-alvarez-atletico-madrid
Indeed, on a week in which Arsenal face Atleti in the Champions League, reporter Ben Jacobs has revealed that Arsenal "have held meetings" with Alvarez's camp ahead of a possible move this summer.
Sky Sports report that it could take a club record fee of £130m to bring him back to the English top-flight.
If the Gunners are looking for the complete striker, then the Argentine international is their man. Whilst Gyokeres consistently fails to perform on the big stage, Alvarez saved his best moment for the Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona - scoring a stunning free-kick in the first leg.
And if there were concerns that he'd face the same goalscoring problems as Havertz, this season's record should put that to bed. Alvarez has scored 19 goals and set up another nine in all competitions. It's clear to see why Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez describes him as a "monster".
The former Manchester City man also takes more shots and creates more chances per game than both Gyokeres and Havertz. His strength just so happens to be both their weaknesses.
Julian Alvarez Man City stats (timeless)
If that wasn't already enough, then he's already proven he can do it in the Premier League with Manchester City. He simply ticks so many boxes.
It won't be cheap this summer, but if Arsenal want to finally solve their long-lasting striker problem, then Alvarez simply must be the priority. Berta got it wrong last summer with Gyokeres. 12 months later, he has the chance to make up for it.
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Arsenal could finally solve their striker position this summer.