Arsenal do NOT need a new striker! Mikel Arteta’s men are being outscored by their rivals… but stats prove £208m summer spending spree has changed the Gunners and a new forward is not the quick fix

Having led the table for much of last season before being pipped at the post by Manchester City, Arsenal are back in pole position to end their title drought this term.

Mikel Arteta‘s men are two points clear at the top of the standings, and have lost just once in the league all season.

But concerns have been raised about the Gunners’ front line. Arsenal have netted just 29 goals in their 14 games, putting them sixth in this category behind the likes of Newcastle (32) and Brighton (30), who are both outside the Champions League places.

There are doubts over whether Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah can fire them to title glory, and with the January transfer window less than a month away, Arsenal have been linked with bringing in a new forward to strengthen their attack for the run-in.  

But do they actually need a new striker?

Concerns have been raised over whether Gabriel Jesus (left) and Eddie Nketiah (right) can fire them to the title this season

The cold, hard numbers highlight that Arsenal are not scoring at the same rate as last season in the Premier League.

Arteta’s team scored 88 goals in 2022-23 – that’s 2.32 goals per game. That figure drops to 2.07 per game in 2023-24.

Yet there is a reason behind this. 

Arsenal spent £208m in the summer, and their primary focus was on improving the defensive side of their game.

In came club-record signing Declan Rice, Ajax defender Jurrien Timber and Brentford goalkeeper David Raya. 

Kai Havertz also arrived as a more attack-minded signing, but he has been used almost exclusively in a compact midfield alongside Rice and captain Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal’s title collapse last season was largely due to their inability to keep clean sheets in the final weeks of the campaign.

Arteta has looked to address this by making his side more difficult to break down. And it has worked.

Arsenal spent big on Declan Rice (right) and Kai Havertz (left) in the summer and are now more difficult to break down

This has made them less of a force going forward, though, with Jesus an Co not getting as many big chances in front of goal