Since Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined Arsenal last season, it has been a mixed bag. Perhaps the failure of his counterpart, Alexis Sánchez, who went the other way to Man United has overshadowed Mkhitaryan, but some fans will say that he has not been the signing they hoped for.
The Armenian has still been impressive for The Gunners, but he has not been able to replicate the heights Sánchez did whilst at The Emirates. Then again, it is very hard for any player to reach those heights.
However, Mkhitaryan seemed like a player that suited former manager Arsène Wenger much more than he suits new man Unai Emery. This has been said by a number of pundits how both Mkhitaryan and Mesut Özil do not suit the Spaniard’s pressing style. Neither player is renowned for their work rate and it is showing this season.
As a consequence, some people are speculating the departure of Mkhitaryan in the near future, be it in January or the end of the season. To make matters worse, the emergence and development of Alex Iwobi at Arsenal has given Emery something to think about when picking his squad. These days, Mkhitaryan certainly does not walk into the team with the Nigerian playing so well. Being seven years the elder of Iwobi, Mkhitaryan may not have as bright a future in north London.
However, that does not mean that there are not a number of clubs that would not want Mkhitaryan (valued at £31.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk). The forward would still do a fantastic job at a number of top clubs in England, however, with more and more teams playing with a pressing style, there is a greater expectation on players in Mkhitaryan’s position and that may make him an unfavourable signing to some managers.
Perhaps the attacker’s future lies back on the continent. He made a great name for himself at German giants Borussia Dortmund and could still have a very bright future at another European league where their style differs from the Premier League’s. He has the quality to walk into many top teams in Europe and Arsenal could still expect a decent price for him, but it may be growing more and more apparent that he would be better suited away from The Emirates.
