Your Joao Felix suggestion has had me thinking about what type of striker we want and would be optimal given the rest of the attack.
I like the look of Vlahovic and Isaak, but Felix has more technical ability in the little toe of his weaker left foot than those two combined. And the comparison gets ridiculous when you start talking about the likes of Calvert-Lewin, Watkins or Ivan Toney.
I hear what you're saying about the real top quality players adapting and fitting in regardless, but I can't help thinking that with the team getting closer and closer to the intelligent, technical, possession-dominant side that Arteta has promised, prioritising a player with the qualities of Joao Felix might make a lot more sense.
I look at Liverpool and City, and whilst they're not identical in how they set up their teams and the way in which they attack, I couldn't see a Vlahovic starting up front for either one of them. Even if his goal output remains at it's current level, I'm just not sure he's mobile enough, that his combination play is good enough, or whether he has the technique to thrive in the small spaces that the City attackers especially have to face.
Imagine a front 3 of Joao Felix, Martinelli and Saka - Felix as a False 9, flanked by our two budding superstars, with Ødegaard and/or Smith Rowe linking in ol' zone 14. The football would be off the charts!
I'd love a Thierry Henry - a phenomenal athlete that can do it all - in the absence of that, I think we should look more for technique and intelligence rather than strength and athleticism.
Basically, Joao Felix it is. Anyone got Jorge Mendes' number?
