Ian Wright has urged Arsenal to sign players capable of covering and challenging Bukayo Saka and William Saliba this summer as they bid to push past Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s side fell two points short of the champions in a tight Premier League title race, and are expected to invest again this summer.
Declan Rice was the club’s marquee addition last year and provided a transformative impact on the Arsenal midfield, while the club have been strongly connected with a move for a new centre forward like Newcastle’s Alexander Isak or Ivan Toney of Brentford.
Kai Havertz fulfilled the central striking role for much of the campaign and impressed, though the German registered just 13 times in the league and the club may consider seeking an upgrade more often deployed in attacking midfield.
But former striker Wright believes that the money might be better invested elsewhere, citing Manchester City’s squad depth as something their rivals should look to replicate.
“Everyone’s talked about [Arsenal’s need to sign] a centre forward, but as difficult as it’s been, we can deal with the hit of not having that out-and-out centre forward,” Wright said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast.
“I think we need cover for Bukayo Saka, we need cover for William Saliba, and another midfielder probably. You look at what Manchester City are capable of doing in respect of bringing players in. You have to have somebody to come in who can challenge William Saliba for his position, because we need to strengthen the whole squad – look at our bench.”
Wright’s podcast co-host Jamie Carragher disagreed with the ex-Arsenal man’s assessment of his former club, recalling being part of a Liverpool side that similarly struggled to become champions and the mistakes they made in recruitment.
“When you’ve got a good team, like we were at Liverpool when we couldn’t quite get there in terms of the league, we thought we need a better squad, or someone to cover Fernando Torres,” Carragher explained. “You need players to go in your first XI. The ones who are in the XI become the squad players.
“Arsenal, rather than saying they need cover for this player or that one, need to go and buy a left back. I actually think left wing is also not good enough, even though I like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
“For me, when I look at Arsenal, they’re missing a top attacker to go alongside Saka, who I think is fantastic. They need another one – it doesn’t have to be a middle guy, it could be an unbelievable left-winger who takes you to another level.”
Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher were speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet
