Indeed, Mikel Arteta’s side are going through it right now, they’ve failed to win their last two league games, not scoring a single goal in the process, and the title race looks to be over.
Team MP W D L GD Pts
1 Liverpool 28 20 7 1 40 67
2 Arsenal 27 15 9 3 28 54
3 Nottm Forest 27 14 6 7 11 48
Arsenal are in a difficult position, and it’s not hard to figure out why – the Gunners simply don’t have a striker right now.
Kai Havertz is out for the season, while Gabriel Jesus is also sidelined with injury.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Michael Owen has been discussing Arsenal’s situation, and he says that he does have sympathy for Mikel Arteta and his current situation.
Michael Owen has sympathy for Mikel Arteta
Owen spoke about Arsenal’s situation, expressing sympathy for Mikel Arteta.
The pundit says he feels sorry for the Arsenal manager, claiming that the Gunners need to make sure they get the right striker in the summer.
“Do you have some sympathy for Mikel Arteta in that he wanted another striker and wasn’t given one?” Owen was asked.
“I think I have. He’s not stupid. I make comparisons to Man City in the past where he was and Pep Guardiola went through times without a centre-forward. He was happy to wait, sit and suffer and then when someone came along you don’t miss out. Arsenal are in that situation now. Who is out there? Yes you can get a stopgap, but they’re in massive need of a centre-forward,” Owen said.
Premier League champions’ top scorers
Owen is right to feel sorry for Mikel Arteta. After all, it’s not easy to win the Premier League without a lethal striker in your squad.
Indeed, looking back on recent Premier League champions, almost all of them had a reliable source of goals within the team.
Season Premier League champions Top scorer Number of goals
2023/24 Manchester City Erling Haaland 27
2022/23 Manchester City Erling Haaland 36
2021/22 Manchester City Kevin De Bruyne 15
2020/21 Manchester City Ilkay Gundogan 13
2019/20 Liverpool Mohamed Salah 19
2018/19 Manchester City Sergio Aguero 21
2017/18 Manchester City Sergio Aguero 21
2016/17 Chelsea Diego Costa 20
2015/16 Leicester City Jamie Vardy 24
2014/15 Chelsea Diego Costa 20
Manchester City were an exception to the rule in the early 2020s when they played without a natural striker, spreading the goals throughout the team instead.
Aside from City, almost every Premier League champion in the last 10 years has had a goalscorer who is capable of hitting that 20-goal mark.
Arsenal currently don’t have that player, and even before Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus went down injured, they didn’t have that player either.
Kai Haverts Gabriel Jesus
9 Premier League goals this season 3
8 Average goals in a Premier League season 8
13 Most goals in a Premier League season 14
Havertz and Jesus don’t bring that sort of firepower, and Arsenal need a player who can hit 20 a season if they are to kick on to the next level.
Alexander Isak is Arsenal’s dream target, and he would be just what the doctor ordered if the Gunners could somehow get a deal done for the Newcastle star.
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