Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was really disappointed after his side lost 2-0 to Newcastle United in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.
The Gunners boss named a strong lineup at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. His side mostly did a good job and created plenty of chances.
However, Arteta was let down by his attackers, who failed to convert a single opportunity.
Newcastle, on the other hand, had two big chances and scored with both of them. Alexander Isak was at the heart of it and was the best player on the pitch by a mile.
“The ball arrived to him and he had one of the big chances. That’s what you have when you have real quality up front,” Arteta said about Isak after the game.
That last line clearly suggests that Arteta thinks Arsenal don’t have ‘real quality up front’ at the moment, and that is hurting them a lot.
Arsenal fans think Mikel Arteta has sent a big message to the board
Arteta’s comments about the ‘real quality’ Newcastle United have in attack just feels like a message to Arsenal’s board in the ongoing transfer window.
The Gunners have needed a prolific goalscorer for years now, but Arteta hasn’t been able to sign any of his targets.
Arsenal fans all feel that his message above is a dig at the board and the owners for not giving him the players he wants in attack.
One Arsenal fan tweeted: “Arteta letting the board know with that comment!”
Another said: “He’s literally digging at the board but no one can see it.”
“He’s definitely sending a message,” wrote another.
Another Gooner said: “Arteta has been pushing the Arsenal board to buy him strikers for a while now. It implies that, at least to me, the board for one reason or another has not been able to give him that. I wonder why.”
“I really hope this is a message to the board. Something needs to happen this month. Won’t be Isak but there’s got to be someone better than what we have,” tweeted another.
Five times Arsenal’s board have let Arteta down
Arteta definitely has his flaws, but you can’t blame him for not signing a top-class attacker.
The Spaniard has been on the market for a new forward in almost every window over the last few years, but no deals have materialised.
Arteta wanted Dusan Vlahovic to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but that didn’t happen. He also wanted Isak when he was at Real Sociedad, but Arsenal thought he was too expensive.
The Gunners have also tried to sign the likes of Raphinha, Benjamin Sesko and Nico Williams, but none of those deals got over the line either.
Arteta is clearly targeting quality players, but the board have not been able to bring them in. That is the reason why the Gunners are struggling in attack right now.
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