Arsene Wenger demands double figures in goals and assists from Arsenal star Alex Iwobi

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James Benge1 October 2017

Arsene Wenger is demanding a double figures return in goals and assists from Arsenal playmaker Alex Iwobi this season.

The 21-year-old scored his first goal of the campaign in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Brighton at the Emirates, capping off an impressive display in which Iwobi filled in for the injured Mesut Ozil and dictated Arsenal’s attacking game with panache and drive.

Though Wenger has rarely hesitated in praising the Hale End youth product he has consistently demanded greater end product from Iwobi, who had provided 12 assists and six goals in 64 Arsenal games prior to Sunday.

Wenger told Standard Sport: “He’s the kind of player who has a good availability, helps you a lot to get out of pressure when you’re in the build-up game and creates spaces.

“But what you want from him is the final balls and goals as well. A player like him must score 10 goals [this season] and he must as well give between six and 10 assists. That’s what I want of him.”

Iwobi himself has acknowledged the need to add end product to his game after spending much of the final third of the season as an unused substitute, even briefly being dropped back down to the youth team.

In an exclusive interview with Standard Sport on Thursday Iwobi said: “Obviously, I am an attacking player, so when you are an attacking player, you need to create goals and get goals — and that’s the main thing for me.

“People in my position were doing better than me in that aspect of the game, which is to eventually win games, and that’s something I had to work on.”

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