Thierry Henry has criticised Mikel Arteta over his failure to sign an out-and-out frontman, insisting the Arsenal manager has “had time to get a nine”.
The north London club finished second behind Premier League champions Liverpool this season and failed to add to the single trophy – the 2020 FA Cup – won by Arteta during his five-and-a-half-year reign to date.
While acknowledging that fitness problems had played a part, the Gunners’ record goalscorer highlighted the lack of a No 9 as a key issue.
Henry told the Overlap Stick to Football podcast: “When you look at the injuries and you look at the players that came, he brought players. He got [Raheem] Sterling when everyone wanted a nine. He had time to get a nine.
“I’m not the coach, I don’t know how the discussion (went)… everyone has been screaming for a nine – apart from when we win, by the way. When we beat Real Madrid, we didn’t need a nine.”
Thierry Henry was speaking on the Overlap Stick to Football podcast
Arsenal have been linked repeatedly with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak – the Magpies’ Champions League qualification is likely to make that even more difficult – and also Sporting frontman Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
However, Henry – a 1998 World Cup winner with France – believes Atletico Madrid’s former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez could be the answer to their problems.
He said: “One of my favourite nines out there at the minute is Julian Alvarez. We’ve been talking about it, putting pressure, playing alone, low, whatever you want to do. Did you see the free-kick he scored the other day?
“He can hold the ball alone, he played at the Olympic Games, he played in the Copa America. I don’t hear him saying, ‘I’m tired’ or not tired. Hopefully nothing bad is going to happen to him. He’s played everything and the way he plays, I just like him.”
Nick Wright and Sam Blitz analyse all of Arsenal’s potential transfers as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his squad in the summer
Arteta’s lack of silverware at the end of a season during which Newcastle and Crystal Palace claimed the domestic cups and Tottenham were triumphant in the Europa League has raised questions.
While Henry continues to back the Spaniard, he knows that drought cannot continue.
Asked about what Arteta has built, the 47-year-old said admitted he was doing a “great job”, but added: “At the beginning when it’s not your team, you need at the very least three to four transfer windows to be able to change everything that you want to change.
“It takes time. You have to give a manager time to be able to implement what he wants to do.
“Now, the last three years, we’ve been in a situation where we should at least bring a cup [to the club], or [be in] a final.
Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast, Sam Tighe suggests that Arsenal should be targeting Real Madrid’s Rodrygo this summer and claims he’s the calibre of player to take the club to the next level
“Man Utd played five finals in their last five years – the United that everyone laughs at. In the last three years of building, you [Arsenal] didn’t reach a final.
“So I do understand when people ask the question – surely you should have competed for a trophy being in the final. This year we didn’t compete with Liverpool. I don’t know what people think, but we didn’t compete, not once.
“I’m not saying [this season was a] disappointment, but it’s normal that people are raising questions now about what the team is doing.”
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports
