Arsenal have been told they need at least four new signings to compete with Manchester City ahead of a crucial summer transfer window for the club.
Ex-Gunners striker Kevin Campbell believes Mikel Arteta needs reinforcements in almost every area of the pitch having seen the squad so far come up short in the title race with City.
“Defence, midfield and attack,” he listed to Metro as the key areas to improve on in the summer. “You need a full squad. I think this is why Arsenal have struggled a little bit of late, where you can’t freshen things up.
“You look at Man City, they can. They can play a so-called weakened team in the semi-finals of an FA Cup. Look at the players they left out to rest for the game against Arsenal. That’s what a quality squad can do.
“Arsenal have got to try to get to those levels. I’d like to see a new centre forward come in. A couple of central midfielders to help with rotation. At centre half, Arsenal don’t have the same depth as Man City.
“That’s the blueprint. Man City have two quality players who can start in every position. That’s got to be the blueprint. I think Arsenal this season have been ahead of plan. Being a part of a title run-in has been incredible, but now we know our deficiencies. That’s an important thing to own up to and look and what you’ve got.”
While Arsenal will be able to bring in better players thanks to the Champions League, Campbell added that this summer will also be a big test of Stan Kroenke’s committment to investing in the team.
“There are holes in the squad,” he continued. “Are we good enough to go up against Man City? No, we are not good enough to go up against Man City.
“That needs to be addressed and the ownership know what the plan is. The summer window is very important and being back in the Champions League will help as you can attract a better level of player, which Arsenal have not been able to do for a number of years.
“There’s a big picture and now we are going to see how serious the ownership are, as they have to bridge that gap.”
