Jamie Carragher has told Arsenal to “forget bringing in a No.9” as even Erling Haaland wouldn’t “make any difference” given they need “more creative players”.
Arsenal were within touching distance of the Premier League’s top side, Liverpool, not long ago, and the wheels have since fallen off. The Gunners find themselves 15 points below the Reds, with a third straight second-placed finish looking the best they can aim for.
In recent months, multiple reports have suggested that Arsenal are looking into a striker signing, with pundits making the case that they need to improve up top.
Of late, the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Marcus Thuram and Aleksandar Isak have been linked with a move to north London, but Carragher feels Arsenal need to forget the No.9 position and find ways to create more chances.
“Forget bringing in a No.9, the first thing they might have to do is [sign] more creative players. If Arsenal would have had a No.9, let’s say Erling Haaland was playing for them. Would they have scored more goals? Of course they would, because he is a top striker and a great finisher,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“But on the basis of [Arsenal’s last three games], with the best chances they have had, Erling Haaland doesn’t make any difference.”
Arsenal have the second-most big chances in the Premier League this season, with their 74 still sitting 12 below Liverpool’s, but in the past three games, they have had just nine shots on target, highlighting the difficulties they’re finding in creating good quality chances.
The Gunners’ top assister in the league last season was Martin Odegaard, with 10, but this term, he’s managed just three. The absence of Bukayo Saka is clearly not helping matters, with the winger one of Arsenal’s best creators.
It seems fair to suggest that if all of Arsenal’s forward line were fit, their issues in creating chances would not be as evident, and that they’re second in the league for big chances created supports that. It seems likely that a striker will be the priority in the summer.
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