Early last season, the North Londoners struggled with inefficiency in front of goal. There were suggestions to sign a top striker during the winter transfer window. They didn’t sign one, but their decision paid off as Kai Havertz led the Arsenal attack in the second half of the 2023-24 season.
Coming into the summer, many believed that adding a top striker would be sensible for the North Londoners, but after missing out on top target Benjamin Sesko, who chose to stay with RB Leipzig, the search for a striker cooled. The transfer window closed without a striker signing.
Three games into the season, the Gunners have done well, but the missed chances against Brighton should emphasise why the club should have signed a top No. 9. Ex-Gunner Emmanuel Petit asserts that Arsenal’s lack of a lethal striker (though he says Kai Havertz does his job perfectly) will hinder their progress, and he also explains his belief that Arsenal’s attacking strategy has become predictable, a vulnerability that opponents may exploit.
Petit told Squawka: “Yes, definitely. They signed (Raheem) Sterling, they signed (Mikel) Moreno, they signed (Riccardo) Calafiori and they are good signings. And I’m very happy with Kai Havertz’s start to the season so far, I think he’s doing well. But we saw on Saturday that Arteta and Arsenal need a plan B up front.
“I had the feeling after the game that Arsenal still play the same way all the time. When they are good on the pitch it’s enough to beat the opponent, but when they are not good individually, and it happened with Declan Rice and (Martin) Odegaard also not playing well, that’s not enough to beat the opponent.
“They’re missing presence up front. Kai Havertz always tries to come deeper in midfield to link up with the midfield players, sometimes he’s asking for the ball behind the defenders. But that’s not enough. This is not his natural capacity.
“So they need someone up front, a typical striker that can convert chances. You get the feeling sometimes that Arsenal are predictable for the opponents when they are not playing well. So they need a plan B and at the moment they don’t have one.”
Arsenal needed to be efficient in front of the goal this season. They struggled against Brighton, but we can ignore that for the majority of the second half, they were playing one man less.
Somehow Mikel Arteta and his technical bench must maximise this team’s potential. Given their decision not to recruit the striker many believed they needed, they must have a plan for their attack. As Gooners, we want to see the Gunners perform at their peak, as this was supposed to be the season they brought home league glory.
Daniel O
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