'We must demand more' - 'lost' Arsenal 'need a new striker'

Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta, have been struggling to secure a win in their last three league games. This is the first time they have faced such a challenge this season.

After losing 2-1 against Fulham on New Year's Eve, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, confidently declared that they won't be requiring any fresh recruits in January.

After the defeat in their 20th Premier League match of the season, he stated to Sky Sports that they need to repeat their actions from the prior 19 games with the identical squad.

As the transfer period commences, the demand on Arteta to improve Arsenal's struggling efforts to secure the Premier League championship with fresh acquisitions will increase.

Especially with the recent disappointing display at Fulham and accumulating another defeat this week, after losing 2-0 at home against West Ham on Thursday.

On the evening of January 1st, Arsenal will be in fourth place and could be trailing behind leaders Liverpool by five points. This is only if Liverpool manages to win their match against Newcastle at Anfield, despite the fact that Arsenal was initially leading the table on Christmas Day.

It had been quite a while, precisely since January 1st, 2022, that they last lost a Premier League game after getting an early lead - that's been a 48-game streak. Unfortunately, Arteta was left with regret as this match turned out to be their worst performance of the season.

He informed BBC Sport that we had a defeat three days ago which we were very determined to win. Today's game was the most unacceptable one of the entire season.

We were too slow in our offense and lacked direction. Our defense was not up to par and we were unable to control the game. We had trouble because of this. Our ball handling was careless and overall, our performance was inadequate. We did not earn a victory.

"If we continue to perform like we have in the previous 19 games, we will have a high standing in the league by the season's end. However, if our performance resembles today's, we'll end up far from it. It was an incredibly tough match to accept."

The midfielder, Declan Rice, expressed his disappointment saying that it was difficult to accept their defeat. He believed that their performance was not up to the mark and they need to push themselves and one another to achieve better results.

Although Arteta has stated otherwise, it is anticipated that he will purchase a skilled goal-scorer in the upcoming January transfer window if he decides to participate in the market.

Out of the top five teams in the Premier League at present, there is only a three-point gap between them. However, Arsenal stand out as the team with the lowest number of goals scored. So far in the current season, they have scored eight fewer goals compared to their performance in the 2022-23 season. This has had a huge impact on their ability to win games, resulting in four less victories and a loss of 10 points.

Arteta made a decision to switch things up during Sunday's match at Craven Cottage. He opted to bench Gabriel Jesus and instead started Eddie Nketiah as his primary striker.

Nketiah was his usual hard-working self, but unfortunately, he didn't manage to score any goals. It's worth noting that this striker from England hasn't been able to score a goal in an away Premier League game for a whole year. His last goal in this setting was on December 31st, 2022, during a match against Brighton.

Although there are problems to be addressed in the defensive aspect, such as Arsenal's lack of keeping clean sheets in six out of seven matches in December, their main priority should be scoring goals.

Who might they bring on board?

Ivan Toney might be the most suitable person for the job, but there are worries about his physical condition due to his punishment in May for breaking betting regulations by not playing football. Meanwhile, Brentford might not be interested in selling him as they are at risk of getting relegated.

Napoli has been eyeing Victor Osimhen for a while now, but his signing would cost a lot as he recently renewed his contract. Additionally, he might not be able to join the team until February since he has to fulfill his Africa Cup of Nations obligations with Nigeria.

Another possible contender is Dominic Solanke, whose performance has improved tremendously this season with Bournemouth. He has managed to score 12 goals in the league so far, which is a promising achievement after his initial career struggles. However, it is uncertain if he can maintain this level of excellence in the future.

'Arsenal Needs A Striker For The Title'

According to former Premier League champion Chris Sutton, Arsenal is focused on winning the championship and cannot afford to wait for anyone to catch up to their pace. This was in reference to the team's current predicament regarding their striker, Toney.

When considering the possible choices they have, Solanke appears as the most suitable option.

Jermaine Beckford, an ex-Everton striker, has recently expressed his thoughts on the team's current state during an interview with 5 Live Football Daily. He believes that Everton seems to be far more prepared than they were last season. The main reason he attributes this to is the team's acquisition of Declan Rice.

In my view, their team is missing a crucial center-forward to secure the championship, therefore the upcoming month of January will be quite fascinating. While I agree that they should pursue Toney as an option, it's best not to put all their confidence in him. It's apparent that he has been absent for an extended period of time, which means it might take some time to adjust to the pace of the Premier League.

"He belongs to a distinct category of players that the team hasn't seen in a long time. Although he lacks speed, he possesses great strength and power."

Jamie Redknapp, who used to play for the English national team, commented on Sky Sports that Arsenal seems to be struggling and they need to boost their confidence. He also mentioned that this defeat might be what they need to face reality since they are currently performing below expectations. Mr. Redknapp suggested that Arsenal may need to find a new striker but they could explore other options, such as borrowing one.

Following a very busy Christmas season that escaped Arsenal's grasp, Arteta can now take a moment to assess his squad's abilities and requirements.

Apart from a highly anticipated match with Liverpool in the FA Cup third-round, Arsenal will not have any upcoming games until they welcome Crystal Palace on January 20th. Unfortunately, they might not be leading the league anymore by then, unlike during Christmas time, and may even be pushed out of the top four.

It is unclear whether Arteta will continue with his unyielding approach for the next three weeks or if they will bring in a new centre-forward before then.

Should Arsenal Sign A Striker In January? Get Involved!

I'm Dave from Perth and I've been supporting Arsenal for a long time now. In my opinion, our team cannot be taken seriously as title contenders with the current striking options we have. I don't understand why Arteta hasn't focused on acquiring a world-class finisher yet; while he is a great manager, he seems unwilling to admit his mistakes and is quite stubborn.

Ryan from Bedford is a supporter of Arsenal and he believes that the team has been lacking energy throughout the season. He also thinks that Arsenal is very lucky to have secured a place in the top four. Ryan believes that Arsenal needs to add some variety to their playing style if they want to compete for the title.

Alex from Chertsey is urging the team to quickly secure the signing of Toney.

Craig from London is disappointed with Arsenal's performances this season, which he feels don't measure up to last season's standards. He believes that Arteta's stubbornness is his Achilles' heel, and at this rate, finishing within the top four seems unlikely. Craig is of the opinion that in January, the club will need to acquire either Toney or Osimhen.