Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell believes that the Gunners need to look elsewhere for a striker this summer as they can't rely on Eddie Nketiah moving forward.
The young Englishman is on a good run of form following his reintroduction into the starting line-up. Nevertheless, he could very well be a free agent as his contract at the Emirates Stadium expires on June 30 and whilst the club are hopeful he will sign an extension, no decision will be made until the end of the season.
Regardless of whether or not he stays though, Campbell thinks Edu and the Gunners have to aim higher. In fact, he's even named three players who will improve Mikel Arteta's forward line: "It shows you what half a striker can do in that Arsenal team," Campbell told Football Insider. "Nketiah has a bit of pace and can run in behind. In the second half [against West Ham] I thought he stretched the pitch really well.
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"You wouldn’t say Eddie is a top-class striker. If Nketiah was on the market, he is not one of the strikers the club would be going for. Arsenal need to upgrade that position. As good as Nketiah is, he is not the answer. We need two strikers. We are talking about a [Darwin] Nunez, [Victor] Osimhen or a [Gabriel] Jesus. Nketiah didn’t score against West Ham despite the fact he had chances. The other three would have scored and that is the difference.
"No disrespect but Nketiah is not the answer. He is a fox in the box but he is not the answer. He needs to play games."
As previously reported, the Gunners will target two centre-forwards this summer. One of the names Campbell suggested is in fact on Edu's shortlist too as football.london understands that Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus and Roma frontman Tammy Abraham are among the profiles who could arrive at Emirates Stadium.
Jesus in particular remains open to leaving the current Premier League champions, with his representative reportedly holding talks with Edu throughout the past few months. Arsenal first made enquiries for the Brazilian in November, with Edu maintaining a close relationship with the player's agent and the City forward himself. Jesus could get more minutes between now and the end of the season as City look to retain their Premier League title, with the Gunners expected to lodge a bid in the region of £35million this summer.
It's a busy summer ahead for Arsenal, but if they get the transfer window right, they could be back to where they want to be sooner rather than later.
