Former Gunner questions lack of backup to Giroud.
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Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has questioned Arsene Wenger’s decision not to sign a striker this summer, he said in an interview with talkSPORT.
Arsenal caused something of a shock-wave throughout world football last night as they announced the club-record signing of Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil, but Parlour thinks they could have done with more depth upfront.
The Gunners’ only currently fit senior striker is Olivier Giroud, who has started the season in great form with three goals in his first four games, though the team will now be without the injured Lukas Podolski for an estimated ten weeks.
“It is going to be exciting now with Jack Wilshere, [Santi] Cazorla, [Theo] Walcott, [Lukas] Podolski, when is he fit, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ozil now,” he said.
“The only problem I’m worried about is the forward line. Giroud was excellent at the weekend. I thought he played ever so well against Tottenham. He got the goal, really held the ball up well and he was a battering ram at times, but can he stay fit?
“If he does get a niggle or get injured, then the next player that can play up there really is Walcott. Podolski is out for ten weeks. That’s the only position [I was worried about].”
Arsenal did sign young French striker Yaya Sanogo from Auxerre this summer, but the 20-year-old is highly inexperienced at the top level of English football, coming from the second tier in France.
It was rumoured that Arsenal tried to bring in Demba Ba on loan from Chelsea before the transfer window deadline, but the Blues blocked a deal late on as they did not want to strengthen a potential title rival.
Arsenal also notably missed out on big names such as Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez this summer, with a striker clearly high on Wenger’s agenda.