Arsenal might be top of the Premier League and into the semi-finals of the Champions League, but most fans would admit there are still some issues to address in the market this summer.
The Gunners have relied heavily on a solid defensive unit all season and while Viktor Gyokeres has hit double figures, some would suggest that they lack real quality in the final third.
The likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke haven’t contributed nearly enough. Bukayo Saka has been in and out with injuries, and Leandro Trossard looks to have had his best days unfortunately.
Indeed, according to self-proclaimed Arsenal fan Darren Bent, the front three is a problem for Arsenal.
TRUE or FALSE: Arsenal stand no chance against Man City without Bukayo Saka…
Darren Bent highlights his concerns with Arsenal’s wide forwards
For a former Premier League player like Darren Bent, who is an Arsenal fan, watching the recent dull performances from the Gunners has been a frustration.
However, while some are pinning it on Mikel Arteta, Bent believes it’s the forward players who need to stand up.
“It’s the final third, something has got to change there because Madueke, -nothing. Trossard, I was looking at this list, right? So he played Martinelli and Madueke, didn’t he, in terms of the two wide players. The last time Martinelli scored a goal was the 15th of February against Wigan. That was his last goal. Wigan, FA Cup,” Bent ranted.
“Madueke has got seven goals this season, three assists. These were his last two goals. Mansfield in the FA Cup, 7th of March. And before that, Wigan, the 15th of February. Right. Then I went to Trossard. Let me think. Trossard, let me see. His last goal, 30th of December is his last goal.
“And if you go to Gabriel Jesus, who do you think his last goal was against?. Wigan.
“So you’ve got front players there, no form whatsoever. Absolutely. And that’s been the problem. And when you watched it yesterday, they’re not making the Sporting Lisbon defence guess. Like, they’re both… Both of them have got their backs to the top so it’s predictable.
“They’re easy to mark. There were a couple of times when Madueke managed to get himself out of a hole, but then it’s the final pass or the cross. And I used the word yesterday in commentary, clunky. That was Arsenal around the edge of the box, where you’d get the ball down and have a clean strike. Just as they’re going to have a shot, it hits their shin or their knee and it goes too far and they don’t get a clean strike.
“There was Madueke in the second half, he goes across the box, but then he takes an extra touch for some reason, goes too wide, hits it in the side netting. It’s just to see, I know confidence is a big thing, but right now in the attacking third, Arsenal are really struggling.
Arsenal’s top Premier League goalscorers outside of Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres might have got 12 Premier League goals this season but for a team at the top of the table, the stats for the rest of the team are alarming.
No other player has hit double figures. Bukayo Saka is the next best threat with six goals, matched by Ebere Eze – albeit five of those came in two games against Spurs.
Trossard has five, and then you go into the midfield with Zubimendi and Rice for the next best.
Gabriel Martinelli has just one league goal, while Noni Madueke has yet to score a league goal at all.
As Bent says, this is simply not good enough and has to be addressed by Mikel Arteta either with tactics, or new players.
Either way, it won’t last forever in terms of getting away with it and we’ve already seen how strong Man City look with Haaland, Doku, Cherki and Semenyo all playing.
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