EXCL: Isak is exactly what Arsenal are missing, Cunha interest could be revived in the summer, plus latest on Partey's future

Reaction as Arsenal lose to Newcastle, plus latest on targets like Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko...

Alexander Isak shows Arsenal what they’re missing

If ever there was a game that made it abundantly clear what Arsenal need to do in the transfer market between now and the end of the month it was the one we witnessed against Newcastle last night.

On chances, it was a game Arsenal should have won. Quite comfortably in fact. But in the end it was one they lost with a bit of a whimper.

Why? Because Mikel Arteta’s wasteful side could have played for hours without scoring one of the many opportunities that fell for them during the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, while at the other end Newcastle - and Alexander Isak in particular- gave them a lesson in finishing.

Arteta bemoaned his side’s wastefulness after the 2-0 defeat. “If you look at what both teams produced, it’s not a result that reflects the story of the game. But the reality is that they were super efficient with the chances that they had and we weren’t.”

The fact is though that this is nothing new. It’s the story of the season for Arsenal. Yes, they have scored plenty of goals and produced some big wins. But there have also now been 13 games in all competitions where they have scored just one goal in a game or failed to score altogether. That’s 13 games out of 30, just under half.

That just isn’t good enough and paints a clear picture about the inefficiency of the squad. They clearly lack players with that killer instinct in front of goal.

Newcastle have one in Isak. Arsenal don’t. It’s as simple as that. Isak showed everyone exactly what Arsenal are missing and it was impossible to ignore.

Opta stats showed that Arsenal closed the first leg of the semi-final with 3.12 expected goals, that’s the highest figure a Premier League side has registered this season in a game in which they have failed to score.

Simply put, if Arsenal had an Isak in their side last night, they would have one foot in the final right now. Instead they are facing up to a painful semi-final exit and more questions about why they haven’t done more to add to their attack.