Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang isn’t an archetypal Arsenal striker, but should bring goals to the starting line-up.

Overview

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been one of the most prolific forwards in Europe in recent years.

His record of 141 goals in 213 games for Borussia Dortmund is nothing short of incredible. It’s clear that Arsenal are getting a seasoned goalscorer.

What will become apparent is that Aubameyang isn’t your typical Arsenal striker. In fact, you could describe him as the “fox in the box” Arsene Wenger has always dreamed about.

Style and strengths

“Fox in the box” is a dated term now but it’s quite appropriate for Aubameyang.

He is a striker who excels and sniffing out opportunities in the opposition penalty area and often finds himself finishing off moves from close distance or picking up the pieces after a deflection.

His style of play is almost entirely based around the penalty area. 28 of his 85 league goals for Dortmund were scored within the six-yard box, while another 57 were inside the penalty area. The other 10 were penalties.

Only taking shots within the penalty area means his conversion rate tends to be quite high. He’s finishing at a rate of 28% this season, which puts him up there with the best finishers around.

Aubameyang has been the beneficiary of Dortmund’s slick attacking play. He’s a constant threat off the shoulder due to his immense speed and timing of his runs.

This is where he differs from most Arsenal strikers, who tend to want the ball to feet and will drop short.

Weaknesses

Paradoxically, Aubameyang can also be wasteful in front of goal. This is perhaps down to the sheer volume of chances he’s on the end of, but he can miss big chances. In this sense, he’s quite similar to Paris St. Germain’s Edinson Cavani.

While his overall game isn’t bad, it’s not overly impressive, either.

Aubameyang plays to his strengths, and that means keeping himself out of the build-up. He averages under 20 passes a game for Dortmund this season, and has managed only one key pass per game and three assists. Don’t expect him to be setting-up chances for his teammates.

He’s also not a striker who will create his own chances. He averages just 0.3 dribbles per game, which is surprisingly low for a player of his speed. If the service isn’t coming his way, you’ll barely notice him playing.

Can he help Arsenal?

Alexandre Lacazette was the striker people hoped would play off the shoulder and poach goals, but his game has been about much more than that. He likes to drop deep and get involved in the build-up.

There’ll be little of that from Aubameyang, who will truly add an extra dimension to Arsenal’s attack. Arsenal have missed a penalty box presence this season, and he’ll provide that – he’s not going to be playing anywhere else.

The key will be creating chances for him. His pace and running in behind will give the team an extra route forward, but chance creation has been a problem this season. Without service, he’s not going to be much help.

Yet, that’s no reason not to be excited about him. Robin van Persie was the last prolific number nine Arsenal had.

Aubameyang could be the next.