Arteta has unlocked Arsenal’s own Harry Kane in £46.5m gem who's “bringing the fire” - opinion

When Mikel Arteta decided to alienate Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang from the Arsenal squad, he took the boldest decision of his managerial career yet.

This is not a coach who is afraid to make a bold call, also sending the likes of Mesut Ozil packing during his short time in north London. However, both decisions have seen the Gunners come out the other side a better team.

Martin Odegaard has settled in extremely well in England as his natural heir behind the striker, with only Trent Alexander-Arnold creating more chances than the Norwegian midfielder since the back end of November.

Meanwhile, since Aubameyang was given the freedom to join Barcelona, Arsenal are one of the most in-form sides in Europe.

Although Arteta’s men were given a reality check against Liverpool on Wednesday evening, their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League is still in their hands.

They have two games in hand but there is a sense that their top-four hopes rest on how clinical they can be.

That’s where the Aubameyang topic becomes a bit controversial. Without their former captain, they do lack a cutting edge up top and after missing out on Dusan Vlahovic in January, a big opportunity to strengthen got away from them.

Yet, in Alexandre Lacazette, they have a player who is proving to be a pivotal cog in Arteta’s well-oiled machine. In the words of Albert Sambi-Lokonga, he has been “bringing the fire” to the team ahead of a crucial stage of the campaign.

The Frenchman has only scored twice in his last 11 Premier League fixtures but in that time has registered seven assists. That makes the Arsenal skipper the joint sixth-most creative player in the top-flight this season, showing that he does offer plenty to the team.

Indeed, strikers who