Arsenal legend Robert Pires has urged his former side to sign a ‘real striker’, citing it as the key position they need to fix if they are to end their five-year major trophy drought.
The Gunners are currently on the hunt for three silverwares this season but might end up losing all three. With Liverpool currently leading the Premier League race, Arsenal are trailing Newcastle United 2-0 going into the upcoming second leg and are in the Champions League round of 16.
Arsenal have played brilliantly in the last two season but have failed to deliver when it really matters. Mikel Arteta have been called out for not signing a recognised striker and Pires has joined the league of ex-players to share their opinion.
Pires underlined the difference being the frontline abilities of their rivals compared to Arsenal.
Arsenal Legend Robert Pires. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport in Paris at a Playstation crossover concept event, Pires said: ‘I think the criticism [of their frontline] is definitely unfair. I don’t like to compare different times but I was a lucky man as I played with great players.
‘Today football has changed a little bit but if we analyse the current Arsenal players then the quality is there. In my opinion, Arsenal need a real striker because if they want to win some games they need this like Liverpool and Man City have.
‘Of course, I respect a lot the decisions of Mikel Arteta and Arsenal a lot but in my time I used to play with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Nwankwo Kanu so we had three real strikers so it was easy sometimes to score goals. But maybe this is the new football, so we have to adapt the philosophy.’
When pressed on who that ‘real striker’ should be to come to the Emirates, Pires was under no illusions.
‘Victor Osimhen,’ the 51-year-old, who won four major honours at Arsenal and was part of their 2003-04 Invincibles side, said. ‘He has a good profile to play for Arsenal and the players such as Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
‘But I’m not the owner or manager – I’m just an Arsenal fan who will always support them. If we can bring in one player though it’d have to be Osimhen.’
Osimhen is enjoying a fine season on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, having scored 12 goals in 15 Turkish Super Lig fixtures – including six in his last seven matches. Furthermore he has 16 strikes in 20 matches across all competitions for the Turkish giants to date.
