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Former Arsenal star Paul Merson believes the Gunners have quality options in attack but are one injury away from being in ‘trouble’.
THE LOWDOWN: BUSY SUMMER
Arsenal have been among the busiest sides in this transfer window, spending north of £100m for the second summer in a row. The Gunners have brought in five names this summer, with Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Marquinhos, Matt Turner and Fabio Vieira all arriving to bolster the squad ahead of the new campaign.
Of those five signings, three of them will feature in attack and it is Gabriel Jesus who will take center stage in that regard.
As it stands, the Brazilian is the club’s designated striker and forms an attacking trio upfront alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
The aforementioned names started in Arsenal’s season opener against Crystal Palace and impressed as the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners at Selhurst Park. Martinelli opened the scoring early on while Saka was heavily involved in the second goal.
Arsenal’s attack already looks better than last season but Paul Merson can see the club in some ‘trouble’ if any of those attacking names get injured.
THE LATEST: LACKING QUALITY IN DEPTH
Rating Arsenal’s attacking options, Merson admits they look good but has expressed concerns that depth is lacking while adding that one injury could see them struggle to score goals.
He wrote on Sportskeeda: “The front four look lively for Arsenal.
“They’ve got everything between them and if they stay fit, Arsenal are going to have a good Premier League season. If one of them gets injured, however, they’re in trouble.”
THE VERDICT: SOME TRUTH TO IT
In fairness, Merson might have a point in his assessment of Arsenal’s attacking options. While Eddie Nketiah can hold the forte in the absence of Jesus, Bukayo Saka literally has no competition on the right side. Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson are available but the drop in quality will be evident in a situation where Saka isn’t available.
It is perhaps the reason Arsenal continue to be credited with interest in a host of wingers. Over the past few days, Michael Olise, Pepe and Yeremi Pino the latest names to have been linked with the Gunners.
Arsenal have already strengthened enough and Mikel Arteta can now only hope his players stay as fit as possible in the course of the campaign.
