Cliff Notes – Mikel Arteta warns Arsenal fans striker is hardest position to fill
- Mikel Arteta emphasised the challenge of signing a top striker, citing a lack of available options that meet performance criteria.
- Following Arsenal’s Champions League exit, Arteta acknowledged the need to strengthen the forward line to improve chances of winning silverware next season.
Mikel Arteta warns Arsenal fans striker is hardest position to fill
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reiterated his desire to sign a striker this summer but said the position is one of the hardest to fill.
Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal exit to Paris Saint-Germain means Arsenal will end a fifth consecutive season without silverware despite sustained progress under Arteta since taking charge in December 2019.
His sole trophy remains the 2020 FA Cup and Arsenal are under pressure to bolster their forward line this summer to improve their chances of adding further honours.
Sources have told ESPN that Red Bull Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyökeres and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak are all on Arsenal’s shortlist and when questioned on his desire to bring in a striker this summer, Arteta referenced his comments from the January window when the club made a late move and failed to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.
“Do I have to make it more clear? In January it was clear or not?” he said. “I told you because you were in the room I think many times and it was a very clear statement. The statement continues the same.
Arsenal have struggled for goals at times this season. Carl Recine/Getty Images
“I want the best team, the best player. If we have three goal scorers over 25, bring them in and we’re going to be a much better team.”
Pushed on whether a top striker was the toughest type of player to acquire, Arteta continued: “Probably they are because there’s not that many that put those numbers [up]. It’s something that’s in the stats. There’s not that many in the Premier League.
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“I will try to improve but certainly improve the ones that we have right now and love the ones that we have right now.
“Especially after losing it’s too easy to just go and look elsewhere and don’t use the moment to judge players especially.
“Because, I was asked a lot of questions about certain players in this room, always in certain moments. But when other players have outperformed other players that we were discussing, I have zero questions in the last 11 months.
“It’s all relative to the context, to the moment and the narrative that you want to generate. I understand that.”
Arteta also said Liverpool deserve a guard of honour when Arsenal travel to Anfield on Sunday and said his team had taken a step backwards in the league this season.
After finishing second with 89 points and scoring 91 goals, Arteta’s side are on 67 points with 64 goals scored ahead of their final three matches.
“In the Premier League we’ve gone a step backwards,” Arteta said. “With the points that we have created it’s clear that we haven’t done as good as last season, that’s obvious.
“They deserve that [a guard of honour]. They’ve been the best team, they’ve been the most consistent, what Arne [Slot] and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it’s been really good and they fully deserve it. And that’s the sport, when somebody is better you have to applaud and accept and try to reach that level.
“Something has to drive you, motivate you, and pain probably is a good one to use sometimes when you don’t really want to do something but it’s the right thing to do, usually as a motivation for next season.”