I've read that Harry considered Ade one of the least confident players he's ever worked with. Basically, his head drops quickly when something doesn't go right...and he's had a lot not really going right this season, from the protracted Emirates Marketing Project transfer struggle to the injuries, the red card, and the specter of Togo.
That matches what Wenger commented about him after he left Arsenal and makes some sense to me, since he doesn't actually appear lazy from what I've seen (haven't watched this game), but rather not sharp this season. He's still floating around and trying to link up play, but looks labored and tentative in front of goal. He's also slightly slower in that area, but I can't tell if that's down to lack of self-belief or his injuries.
He has plenty of reasons to be depressed too. I think AVB prefers more of a pure-ish number 9, which is why he's stuck with Defoe despite JD not fitting in a team ethos, and why we're pursuing Leandro. Ade's lack of clinicalness isn't such a big downside when his upsides amplify a fluid, productive no. 10 like VdV, but right now we have neither a no. 10 nor the fluidity in attack from early last season.
That's a team chemistry problem as much as an Ade problem. I think we need to circulate the ball more rapidly and creatively in midfield, particularly through the center, before we can see Ade start to brighten up again. Ade's strength is his fluency in building a play, not his ability to beat a man and score individual goals. I know we've improved of late, but our large shots count is pretty reliant on individual runs and dribbles (and long, difficult shots) and I think we still need to create much more through the center and more team-based, clear-cut chances from one-touch passing moves. Even Ade in his best form is not going to do much if the rest of the team are not on the same page.
A fluent passing style is my preference, so I'd prefer we bring in more technical passers elsewhere to complement Ade/another creative striker rather than sell him and pray desperately for an uber-no.9 who can do it all on his own; the latter are far too rare with our wallet, and we're effed if they get injured. Yes, clinical-ness in a striker is important, but I think it's even more important to boost our ability to consistently create clear chances in every game, such that even not-so-sharp players can score and we're not screwed if one superstar gets injured. That means the intelligence and chemistry of the striker to the rest of the team is crucial as well.
