Arsenal Must Prioritise Creative Players Over Signing A New Striker, Says Jamie Carragher

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Jamie Carragher suggests Arsenal should focus on enhancing their creativity rather than signing a new striker. The Gunners' Premier League title aspirations have dwindled after securing only two points and one goal against West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United. They trail Liverpool by 15 points, with just one game in hand, while Liverpool needs only 16 points from their remaining nine matches to secure the title.

Arsenal faced criticism for not acquiring a striker during the January transfer window, particularly after a failed attempt to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa. However, Carragher, speaking as a Sky Sports pundit, believes Arsenal's issues lie elsewhere. "The problem they have is not a finishing problem," he stated. "It's a creation problem. They don't create enough chances."

No Arsenal player has reached double figures in Premier League goals this season. Kai Havertz leads with nine goals but is sidelined due to injury, while Gabriel Martinelli follows with six goals. Carragher argues that adding an elite striker might not solve Arsenal's issues. He said, "I keep going back to people saying they need a number nine."

He continued by questioning if having a top striker like Erling Haaland would have made a difference in recent games. "Of course they would [score more], because he's a top striker and a great finisher," Carragher explained. However, he noted that Haaland wouldn't change the outcome of those specific matches.

Arsenal's attacking statistics support Carragher's view. Their expected goals (xG) total of 45 ranks them sixth in the Premier League, trailing behind Tottenham (47.15) and slightly ahead of Crystal Palace (44.89). Despite overperforming their xG by scoring 52 goals, their shot conversion rate of 13.33% is only slightly lower than last season's 13.85%, when they netted 91 goals.

The Gunners average just 1.21 expected assists (xA) per league game this season, down from their 2023-24 average of 1.52. Captain Martin Odegaard has faced criticism for his creative output, contributing only two goals and three assists this term.

Future Prospects

To address these concerns, Carragher suggests Arsenal should prioritize signing creative players over strikers. He mentioned potential summer acquisitions like Martin Zubimendi to replace Thomas Partey in holding midfield roles as steps towards boosting creativity.

"Forget bringing in a number nine," Carragher advised. "The first thing they might have to do is sign more creative players." Improving creativity could make Arsenal more competitive in the Premier League next season.