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Arsenal icon Ray Parlour has urged Mikel Arteta to increase his striker options after predicting Eddie Nketiah to stay at the Emirates Stadium this month. The Gunners are hoping to strengthen their squad with new signings, but their spending may be limited after a £200million outlay in the summer.
Arsenal brought in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber before signing David Raya on an initial loan deal. The north Londoners were unable to bring Raya in on a permanent deal due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations – although there is an expectation the Gunners will activate their £30million option to buy clause included in the Spaniard’s deal at the end of the season.
Supporters have urged the club to sign a new striker to solve their goalscoring problems in recent weeks, but Arteta has already admitted that expectation is ‘unrealistic’. Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus have both struggled to prove they have the clinical edge to help fire Arsenal towards their first Premier League title since 2004.
Nketiah is attracting interest from Crystal Palace, but the north Londoners recently rejected an enquiry from the Eagles for the Hale End graduate. The Gunners had the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp to help them secure the title 20 years ago and Arteta will be wishing he had similar options in his squad now.
Parlour, who was a member of the ‘Invincibles’ squad back in 2004, has now urged Arsenal to bring in more striker options whilst weighing in on the future of Nketiah. Speaking to BettingSites, Parlour said: “I do believe you need two, three or four strikers sometimes in a squad.
“I played in some really good teams that contained Henry, Bergkamp, Kanu, Wiltord. We even had Francis Jeffers at one stage.
“I never like to muck about with a defence too much. I always like a settled defence, but in the forward line you can tinker with it.
“You do need options. I don’t think Eddie will go at this stage, but who knows in the summer.
“Eddie might want to start playing on a regular basis and if he makes that decision, I’m sure Mikel Arteta won’t stand in his way. If we can keep him and bring a striker in, it does give that little bit of competition up front still.”
