caughtoffside
·12 December 2024
caughtoffside
·12 December 2024
There is no doubt that Arsenal need a more ruthless goal-scorer up front than either Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz, according to Gunners legend Martin Keown.
Mikel Arteta’s side were back to their best last night as they beat Monaco 3-0 in the Champions League, with the team bouncing back from the disappointment of their 1-1 draw away to Fulham at the weekend.
Arsenal scored twice through Bukayo Saka before Havertz added a third, while Jesus put in a decent display as he earned a rare start for the north London giants.
Speaking after the game, Keown praised what Jesus has brought to Arsenal, but still insisted that Arteta has an issue with both him and with Havertz as neither of them are prolific enough at finding the back of the net.
Gabriel Jesus in action for Arsenal in a pre-season friendly (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Havertz has mostly done well for Arsenal considering he’s not necessarily a natural number 9, but Jesus has largely been a big disappointment since he joined the club from rivals Manchester City.
One imagines Arteta must be thinking about making a change, and Keown has insisted that a more reliable goal-scorer now looks essential for his old club.
“We talk about Havertz and Jesus – they need to score more goals and be more ruthless,” Keown said on punditry duty with TNT Sports, as quoted by the Metro.
“I think they could do with that different tool in the box, that player who can find an opportunity out of nothing.
“Jesus has come with a lot of experience, he has bought a lot to the group, but he wants his goals on the pitch.
“He has played his part but Arsenal need that prolific goalscorer to put these opportunities away.”
Arsenal fans will surely agree, with this team often looking overly reliant on Saka to produce the goods up front, with no one in this squad looking like they can hit 25-30 goals a season.