Jamie Carragher, the renowned football pundit, has recently identified two key areas where Arsenal needs to strengthen their squad this summer. According to him, the Gunners are 'always going to be at a disadvantage' if they fail to bolster their attack. He believes that Mikel Arteta 'needs big upgrades' at centre-forward and on the left wing.
Arsenal ended their long wait for a Premier League title earlier this month by finishing seven points clear of Manchester City. This victory marked an end to a 22-year drought for the coveted trophy. However, they missed out on achieving a historic double when Paris Saint-Germain came from behind in penalties during the Champions League final.
Despite Kai Havertz opening the scoring with an emphatic finish in only the sixth minute at Budapest’s Puskas Arena, PSG rallied back with an equaliser from Ousmane Dembele before Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes both missed in a nerve-shredding shootout.
Mixed emotions amongst fans
The defeat has led to mixed emotions amongst fans who gathered on north London streets celebrating Arsenal’s Premier League triumph. Despite Viktor Gyokeres’ £64million arrival from Sporting last summer, questions have resurfaced about apparent deficiencies in attack following yesterday’s performance. Carragher praised William Saliba and Gabriel's performances as ‘outstanding’ for newly crowned English champions but pointed out that there was a stark difference between both teams' attackers during their face-off in Hungary.
Jamie Carragher, Liverpool legend, said:
‘That’s always been the criticism of Arteta’s Arsenal. I think the way they played last night was almost the only way they could have played to try and beat PSG. PSG weren’t great in the first half. Were they there for the taking? But that’s what Arsenal are. What I would say and I’ve said this all season and I thought this would stop Arsenal winning the league but it didn’t: they don’t have enough quality in attack.
‘There was times in that first half especially where they just couldn’t keep the ball. PSG weren’t doing great, they weren’t creating chances, but it was far too easy to allow a team just to push it back to the edge of your own box.’
When asked if Arsenal’s Premier League triumph could lead to significant spending this summer, Carragher responded affirmatively: ‘Yes, and I think that was the idea last summer when bringing Gyokeres in.' However he also noted that it hasn't quite worked out for them.
Jamie Carragher added:
‘But I do look at the centre-forward position and I look at the left wing position and I think they need big upgrades if they’re going to win the Champions League. Without them, they’ve come really close, your penalties away, but when you look at the run they had to the Champions League final, it was a very favourable run.
‘I think when they come up against the best teams in Europe, and you look at the attacking players they’ve got, I think they’re always going to be at a disadvantage. That is definitely where they need to improve in the summer.’
Carragher's analysis suggests that Arsenal needs to focus on strengthening their attack during the summer transfer window. The recent Premier League triumph could potentially pave the way for big signings, but it remains to be seen how Arteta and his team will respond to these suggestions.
