Arsenal are over-reliant on Odegaard and Saka, need a marquee striker

Arsenal finished the 2023/24 Premier League season with 89 points but it was not sufficient to beat Manchester City to the title. The Cityzens won the league by a slender two-point margin.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta will want to strengthen his squad further this summer for another title challenge and a new centre-forward could be the prime target for the transfer window.

Looking at the statistics last term, Arsenal’s over-reliance on Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka was quite evident. The Gunners visually had a right-wing bias for most of the league campaign.

Odegaard created the most shot-creating actions in the top-flight (220) with Saka not far behind (188). Despite this, the club were not able to outwit Pep Guardiola’s side in the title race.

In our view, the onus should be on strengthening the centre-forward position over signing another playmaker. The club seem well covered in the attacking roles at the moment.

Saka and Odegaard are guaranteed starters from the right wing and number 10 positions while Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have shared the duties on the left wing.

The Gunners also have Gabriel Jesus in their ranks who can play up front or on either wing. The Brazilian could be used out wide next term with the likely arrival of a marquee striker.

Kai Havertz was brilliant up front with 14 goal contributions in his final 15 league appearances of the season, but the German still lacks the cutting edge with his finishing.

Competition for places is necessary for any title-chasing side. An elite striker who can guarantee 25 to 30 goals per season could be the final piece of the jigsaw for the club.

Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen are possible choices for Arsenal, but they could also prefer an emerging star with huge potential in Benjamin Sesko.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com