Petit claims transfer window oversight from Arsenal makes them ‘predictable’ this season
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit insists their failure to add another striker to their options could cost the Gunners this season.
Arsenal had a brilliant 2023/24 campaign in the Premier League and pushed Manchester City to the final day of the season before Pep Guardiola’s side pipped them to the title by two points.
Scoring was not a problem for Arsenal last season with the Gunners the second-highest goalscorers in the Premier League on 91 goals, just behind the champions.
But Gary Neville and other former players and pundits think they are still a top centre-forward away from winning the Premier League title, not because they lack goals, but because they need a different type of striker to decide tight matches.
Speaking in November last year before the January transfer window, Neville said: “I’ve said this after a few Arsenal games this season – Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah at centre-forward are both very good, but I’d like them to be my No 2 and No 3 strikers.
“I’d really love them to be my No 2 and No 3 strikers and they might even end up playing wide and off the left in certain games or off the right because both of them can do that role.
“But if Arsenal had a top No 9 and they’ve had some really top No 9s in the last 20 or 30 years, then I think they could go on to win the title. I’ve predicted them to win the title but when I look at them now in big games, I feel they’re lacking something up top.
“To be fair, I think Mikel Arteta knows that. He loves them both and he should do, Arsenal fans should do. This is not a criticism of the two lads they’ve got because I think they can be really important players for Arsenal, but I feel like they should be part of the 20-man squad.
“They could still contribute in 25-30 matches a season, but I feel you need something more in those top matches that just get you over the line. Erling Haaland does get Man City over the line quite a bit and I think that’s what the difference could be in the end. So for me, that’s a big thing.”
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Kai Havertz will lead the line in most matches for Arsenal this season with Gabriel Jesus providing the back-up for the German in that position but Petit thinks the Gunners are still lacking a Plan B.
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.”
