Jamie Carragher has given an interesting perspective on what has cost Mikel Arteta and Arsenal the Premier League title, suggesting that it is not because they lack a striker. The Gunners boss walked out of an interview following the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday after he was asked whether or not he regretted not adding a number nine to his ranks following an injury crisis in attack.
Arteta remained adamant that his side's issues did not stem from their lack of a goalscorer, despite it being a clear weakness within his squad. However, Carragher has sided with the Spaniard and pinpointed where he believes Arsenal need to improve moving forward.
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Speaking during Sky Sports' Monday Night Football coverage of Newcastle's win over West Ham, Carragher broke down the difficulties the North London giants had in breaking down the Red Devils and explained that this was the biggest problem facing Arteta, not the fact he doesn't have a striker.
Carragher would explain that even if the Gunners had Erling Haaland at their disposal, it would make no difference as there wouldn't be enough chances created for the Norwegian to profit from:
"Forget bringing in a number 9, the first thing they might have to do is more creative players. If Arsenal would have had a number nine, 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.
"But on the basis of [Arsenal's last three games], with the best chances they have had, Erling Haaland doesn't make any difference."
Despite Arteta's assertions that not having a striker has nothing to do with the way in which Arsenal have fallen off in their chase of league leaders Liverpool, they have still been linked with the likes of Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko as they look to bolster their front line.
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Two of their three top scorers in the division, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, are currently out with injuries. However, between them, they have only managed 14 goals—less than the top five goalscorers this season on their own.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore and the Premier League - accurate as of 11/03/2025.