Ethan is a football journalist at Football FanCast specialising in opinion-led features, tactical analysis and Premier League coverage. A graduate of the University of Derby's Football Journalism course, he has developed experience covering multiple levels of English football, from non-league to the Premier League.  

Ethan began his career as a media assistant at Mickleover Sports and an EFL reporter for VAVEL. After graduating in 2023, he spent six months covering the Premier League for GRV Media before joining Football FanCast in February 2024.
 

Since joining the publication, Ethan has focused on producing in-depth football features, combining statistical analysis with informed opinions on players, clubs and performances. A lifelong Nottingham Forest supporter and season-ticket holder, he brings first-hand experience of matchday football and a strong understanding of the issues affecting supporters to his writi

For all of their success over the last 12 months, Arsenal are a club that is still fragile in key moments - as seen during Tuesday’s defeat to League Two side Fleetwood Town.

The Gunners ultimately failed to produce any quality within attacking areas of the pitch, with their toothless showing resulting in their exit from the Carabao Cup.

Mikel Arteta will now need to hunt in other competitions if he is to secure silverware this campaign, but the loss at Highbury Stadium will no doubt be playing on his mind.

The aforementioned outing will have opened his eyes to the lack of quality in numerous areas of the squad, which could see one player be on borrowed time at the Emirates.

In the summer of 2023, attacker Kai Havertz was seen as a player who could inject needed quality into the Arsenal forward line in their efforts to secure title glory.

The German has only registered 13 goals in his 43 league outings for the Gunners to date, and has often failed to deliver when called upon in North London.

He’s now on a run of nine games without a goal across all competitions, which has since cast doubt over his long-term future as Arteta’s starting eleven number nine.

His showing against League Two side Fleetwood was fresh evidence that he’s not at the level required for success, with his stats showing some alarming flaws in his game.

Havertz registered the most shots of any player (7), but could only direct one of his efforts on target - resulting in a measly 14% accuracy rate in front of goal.

He could only achieve a 50% dribble success rate, whilst making just two passes into the final third - highlighting his inability to provide opportunities for those ahead of him.

Such numbers against a lower league opposition are certainly alarming and show the manager why he desperately needs to be moved on in the months ahead.

Why Arsenal already have a talent to replace Havertz

Should Havertz be dropped from Arteta’s starting eleven, many Arsenal supporters would automatically think that Viktor Gyokeres would be the man to take his starting role.

The Swedish international has only featured for 148 league minutes this campaign, with the manager seemingly believing that he’s unable to deliver the goods in attacking areas.

His only goal of the 2026/27 campaign came during the defeat to Fleetwood, which could suggest the big-money addition has finally found his level after his recent struggles.

He too could follow Havertz out of the door at the Emirates in the near future, which could hand new addition Andria Bartishvili the chance to become a first-team regular.

The Georgian is set to arrive from Kolkheti 1913 in January after the Gunners forked out a reported £3.8m to secure the services of the highly-promising 17-year-old striker.

The wonderkid is a player who could be the future of Arsenal Football Club, but he could well be catapulted into the senior ranks given the struggles of the current options.

He could emulate Max Dowman in making the jump into the first-team and fighting for a starting position despite being a player who should realistically be in the youth side.

Bartishvili's nationality has naturally already drawn comparisons to PSG sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with both being talents who can manipulate the play with their dribbling ability.

Despite his tender age, he’s been handed the opportunity to showcase his talents on loan at Iberia 1999 - a team who are competing in the top flight of the Georgian pyramid.

He’s already netted three goals during the current campaign and has made a name for himself for his ability to arrive into the box late before finding the back of the net.

Such a loan spell will also hand him the opportunity to showcase his talents in the UEFA Conference League, which could prove to be vital if he’s to progress into an elite talent.

Should he impress before his move to the Emirates in the winter, there’s no reason why he can’t become a player who can thrive under Arteta’s guidance.

The likes of Havertz and Gyokeres are desperately struggling to provide the goods, and his arrival could cause a storm - which could allow him to be handed an immediate first-team position.