Arsenal used to be lambasted for their inability to replace former captain Patrick Vieira. Overlooking the fact he was literally one of the best midfielders to ever play the game and couldn't be replaced in the traditional sense, the sentiment centred around the Gunners lack of steel in midfield and was harped on about for years until the £105 million acquisition of Declan Rice.
The world loves to go over-the-top with Arsenal, so it's a little surprising there haven't been calls for them to replace Thierry Henry in similar fashion. The modern-day Gunners have a well-oiled setup but no top-class forward to put the cherry on the cake.
Kai Havertz, signed as a midfielder after all, ought to have been a stop-gap solution, but has extended his stay up front to the detriment of the team, fluffing his lines from point-blank range on several occasions during last week's cup defeats to Newcastle and Manchester United. A longer-term injury to Bukayo Saka means Arsenal must soldier on without their best and most threatening player for at least the next two months, while Gabriel Jesus suffered a suspected ACL rupture against United and now looks certain to miss the rest of the campaign.
If Arsenal are to save their season, they cannot wait until the summer in hope of finding the perfect, 10-out-of-10 striker. Competition for a No.9 is stiff enough as it is and they must at least explore opportunities to steal a march on their rivals.
They are also in need of a more threatening wide forward, too. Even before Saka underwent hamstring surgery, he needed more support from the other flank, with the rotating cast of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling not chipping in enough.
There's still a couple of weeks for Arsenal to improve their frontline with outside solutions and they should look to sign at least one player to help carry the load. GOAL has run through the more realistic options on their plate...
