Why Arsenal does not need a striker to win the Premier League

One of the big topics in the Premier League in the last few months has been that Arsenal needs a striker like Erling Haaland to win the league.

The Gunners were the second-highest scorers in the Premier League last season, and their impressive defence meant they had the same goal difference as the league’s champions Manchester City.

The Gunners improved significantly in the second half of the season and lost only a league game in 2024, drawing one and winning the rest.

It was a remarkable period for Mikel Arteta’s men, who have been showing for months that they might be one of the top clubs in the country.

Despite scoring 91 times in the league last season, which equates to about 2.3 goals per match, most people still believe they need a striker to get them up to the level of Manchester City and win the league.

However, that might not be as true as it sounds, and the Gunners probably deserve a break from all these suggestions.

Mikel Arteta has made Arsenal tickets sell fast since he became their manager, and one of the magics he has performed is making his team play and score without relying on any player.

The Spanish gaffer will work hard to strengthen his group this summer, but he probably should not look to sign the likes of Victor Osimhen and others who have been linked with a move to the Emirates. Here is why:

They would have to change their system

Arteta has worked hard to bring Arsenal from the land of mediocrity into becoming one of Europe’s top clubs, and the ex-midfielder expects things to continue improving.

He has achieved so much by creating a new system of play, which yielded so many goals last season, even without a recognisable striker.

The Gunners have continued to do well in front of goal without a recognised striker. They even play better and achieve more when Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are not in the team.

These are the two strikers at their disposal now, and most people believe they are just not good enough, so Ivan Toney or Viktor Gyokeres will solve Arsenal’s problems.

However, the Gunners operate a system that does not rely on strikers, and if they sign anyone, they will have to change systems to make him shine.

It makes no sense to change what works, so Mikel Arteta should stick to what has brought him success so far; otherwise, he might regret it.

They already are one of the league’s top scorers

It took Arteta some time to find a formula for breaking down teams and scoring a lot of goals, so the Spaniard should know how important it is for his team to stay loyal to what works.

Without a world-class striker, Arsenal is already one of the league’s leading scorers, and the Gunners would be better off if they signed anyone for the role of a goalscorer.

If they enter the market, they will find some interesting players to sign, but there is no guarantee that these players will score enough goals to improve them.

Kai Havertz is not as prolific as a striker should be, but the German adds so much to Arsenal’s game, making him one of the key men in their team.

When he does not score, his movement makes room for others to score, which is why they are one of the league’s leading scorers.

They do not need a new striker to make them score plenty of goals, and investing in one could reduce their goals. 

A new striker to improve them will be too expensive and comes with no guarantees.

The transfer market is generally already inflated, so if Arsenal wants to add a new striker to their group, the Gunners would spend around £100m or more on a world-class player for that spot.

This fee will be demanded for the likes of Gyokeres and Osimhen, so the Gunners might have to break their transfer record again to sign a new world-class goalscorer.

However, it is not guaranteed that any of these targets will arrive at the Emirates and score the goals the Gunners need to succeed.

They already have enough goals, and removing any of their regulars to add a striker to the unit will take time before it succeeds.

Any new player coming to the club will need time to find their feet, and that could take more than a season, which makes splashing that much cash on their signature a poor decision.

They have to find a new role for Kai Havertz.

After a slow start to his spell at the Emirates, Kai Havertz has become Arsenal’s main man in attack, and he deserves the role and recognition he is getting.

The German has mastered the false nine role and is helping his team score goals from everywhere on the pitch.

This is a recipe for success because teams will struggle to stop Arsenal from scoring since they do not rely on one player.

If the Gunners splash the cash on a new striker, they will be back to a problem they suffered at the start of last season: finding the right spot for Havertz.

The German is now too important to leave on the bench. He also plays well for the German national team, as we have seen at the Euros.

Signing a new striker to take over his role upfront could be the end of his good spell at the Emirates because he plays hardly any role better than the false nine now.

Their current options are not the problem.

Arsenal signed Gabriel Jesus to solve their goalscoring problems and he has had some fantastic games in their colours.

They also have Eddie Nketiah, a record goalscorer for the England U21 team, but both strikers are struggling for goals at the Emirates.

At some point, it seemed that Nketiah was one of the best strikers in England, and he even scored a hat trick in a league game.

However, when Arteta tweaked his system to accommodate Havertz as a false nine, it became difficult for either player to get in and score goals.

Nketiah is not world-class, but he can score goals, and if a system favours his attributes, he will flourish.

The same can be said of Jesus, who played for Manchester City. So Arsenal may invest so much in a new striker and struggle because the Emirates' system does not suit them.

Conclusion

Mikel Arteta has done a brilliant job of ensuring Arsenal develops into efficient scorers without relying on a striker, and he could undo all that work by signing a striker.