Mikel Arteta hit back at a journalist when asked if he sees a striker as a “necessity”.
Arsenal have yet to bring in any new faces this month amid calls for a new striker, especially if the club is to chase Liverpool in the Premier League title race. The Gunners have chosen not to sign one in the past; in the summer they had the chance to do so, but failed to get a deal over the line.
That lack of a productive number 9 has come back to haunt them at times and now they have a chance to address the problem. There is a story out there that claims Arteta doesn't see adding a real frontman as a priority.
Previously at Manchester City when he was an assistant, the team played without a natural striker and he now often lines up as a false 9, but Arteta was baffled and hit back when the idea was presented to him.
A journalist said: “You clearly don't share the same sentiment. Do you think it is essential to sign a contract…”
Arteta was quick to dismiss that, saying: “Have I ever said no to a striker?” That led to a quick response: “No, but you don't feel it's necessary, do you?” The Arsenal boss took issue with that line of thinking, saying: “How do you say that?”
The journalist was then asked to be more specific with the question before the Spanish coach revealed his feelings on the matter. He said: “My opinion is clear. We have lost two very important players in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. So we are missing goals, we are missing people, we are missing options up front. That is clear.”
Arsenal have been linked with several names as they look for someone to lead their line. Kai Havertz has emerged as a makeshift option over the past 12 months, but is not a natural in the position where the likes of Alexander Isak, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha are all linked together.
Arteta recently underlined his desire to do something before the window closes, saying: “We will definitely try. We are actively looking at it [a new forward]. I think we have lost two very important players, we have fourteen players in the squad and we play every three days. We'll try, but let's see who we can get.”
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