Tony Cascarino has claimed live on TalkSPORT that Arsenal won’t sign a striker for the short term, despite Gabriel Jesus’ injury.
Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal fanbase will have felt their hearts sink when news emerged during the World Cup that Jesus had left the Brazil squad due to injury, and the news was as bad as first feared with the striker set to miss up to three months.
Therefore pressure will now fall onto the shoulders of Eddie Nketiah was handed a long-term contract over the summer to be a deputy to Jesus for months just like this one, although he could still be replaced in January.
Cascarino believes that should only happen if the right player is available and they fit into Arsenal’s plans for the long term.
Will Arsenal sign a new striker in January?
Yes!
No!
He said: (6:30) “I don’t believe that Arsenal will buy someone as a short stop just to get someone in to try and give them something a little bit different, I don’t think they’ll do that because the whole direction and blueprint of the football club is to be long term success and create a team which I think they’ve done.”
TIF Thoughts on Arsenal’s search for a striker…
It certainly would make a lot of sense for Arsenal to move next month for a new striker, even if it was just an option to have on the bench on a temporary basis until the end of the season because of an injury to Nketiah and they will have nobody left to play in that position.
Arsenal have recently been tipped to make a move for strikers such as Dusan Vlahovic and Ivan Toney, but they would likely arrive and command to be the starting striker, which would then cause a big problem for Arteta once Jesus is back fit.
Therefore, a loan move for someone younger or near the end of their career may not be the worst option in the world, despite Cascarino claiming he doesn’t think it would fit into what Mikel Arteta is building at Arsenal.