Graeme Souness names Arsenal star who ‘hasn’t got any better’ under Mikel Arteta
Graeme Souness believes Arsenal are ‘still a couple of top strikers away’ from challenging. Premier League leaders Liverpool and says Kai Havertz is ‘not the answer’.
Arsenal travelle to Dubai for some warm weather สมัคร ufabet กับเรา รับโบนัสทันที training earlier in the week sitting six points behind Premier League title rivals Liverpool.
The Gunners are challenging for the title for the third successive season but Souness believes there is still a ‘fundamental difference’ between Arsenal and Liverpool in terms of the goalscorers at the respective clubs.
Souness insists Havertz is ‘not the answer’ for a title-chasing club and says he has ‘not got any better’ since joining Arsenal from Chelsea in 2023.
Despite lifting the Champions League trophy at Stamford Bridge, Havertz largely underwhelme at Chelsea before his £65m switch to the Emirates Stadium.
‘Mikel Arteta has built a really good team who are still a couple of top strikers away from challenging Liverpool to be the very best,’ Souness told.
‘Those strikers are the hardest thing to find. The most important ingredient in building a winning team – and very much Arsenal’s missing ingredient.
‘Put Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak in that Arsenal team – because he’s the player they want to buy this summer – and you are looking at a side who would be the finishe article and ready to get their hands on either of the two big trophies.
‘The club’s Carabao Cup semi-final this week proved my point. Yes, Arsenal were beaten by Newcastle United, but for me they were the better team.
‘Stats never go near to telling the full story of course, but Arsenal had 68 per cent possession in that game, 69.5 per cent possession in the first leg and yet still went out 4-0 on aggregate because they didn’t have anyone to put the ball in the net across those 180 minutes.
‘Arsenal should have owned those games. One day, they go and score five against Manchester City. Three days later they dominate Newcastle and come unstuck.
‘I assure you that they will have come away from St James’ Park thinking, “how have we not gone through over two legs?” They can’t afford that inconsistency.
‘It is the fundamental difference between them and Liverpool. My old club have better goalscorers, which means they don’t have to play well to win games and are less reliant on set-pieces. But without those strikers, Arsenal have to play well to win games.
‘They spent £65million in June 2023 to take Kai Havertz from Chelsea, believing Mikel could make him a better player.