Arsenal's crushing 3-0 defeat to Brighton all but ended their faint hopes of winning this season's Premier League title.
Manchester City are now four points clear at the top of the pile and they still have a game in hand on their title rivals, meaning they can mathematically become champions if they beat Chelsea next weekend. When the full-time whistle at the Emirates Stadium blew on Sunday, plenty of supporters rushed to social media urging Gunners sporting director Edu to buy a new centre-forward this summer.
But the north Londoners' problems lie away from recruiting a new frontman and here's why.
READ MORE: Arsenal hit with injury blow as Gabriel Martinelli off vs Brighton
Scoring has been fine
City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are the only teams that have scored more goals than Arsenal across Europe's top five leagues this season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has previously set his squad a target of netting 90 times per season and his side aren't far off at all - scoring 83 times with two games still to play.
“To be with the top teams this season you need to score 90 to 100 goals at least,” Arteta said last year. “Somehow you need those goals in the team.
"Don’t ask me how, but you need them. They have to come. That contribution, how it’s done and how possible it is to happen, you have to find the right pieces to do it. But it’s a non-negotiable.”
Considering first-choice centre-forward Gabriel Jesus also missed over three months due to injury, the north London outfit have been more than capable in front of goal, scoring just hasn't been the issue. In fact, Sunday's loss to Brighton was just the second time this season that Arsenal failed to find the back of the net in the league this term.
Defensive frailties
The real issue for Arteta's men has been in the other box. Arsenal have conceded 42 times in 36 league fixtures, putting them joint-fifth in the English top-flight and joint-33rd in Europe's top five divisions.
To put it simply, the Gunners' leaky defence has been the issue and this should be addressed during the transfer window. With William Saliba in the starting lineup, they had conceded 25 times in 27 league fixtures, shipping 18 in the nine games since the French international suffered a lower back injury.
From conceding 0.93 times per game to allowing two per match is a stark difference, one that makes it evident the drop-off from Saliba to the backups is too large. football.london understands that Arteta is keen to bolster his backline this summer, with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi one name on the club's shortlist of potential signings.
The numbers indicate one thing. Arsenal's attack is more than capable of winning the title but the defence needs help. Therefore, funds should be allocated accordingly. It isn't the time to cheap out and try to buy both, the defence simply must be strengthened and it is a greater priority than bringing in help upfront.
Money for the midfield
West Ham United captain Declan Rice is Arsenal's priority for the summer window, football.london understands. Some reports have indicated that the England international could cost north of £100 million, a sum that would likely be the majority of the north Londoners' budget.
This would be money well-spent considering the influence Rice can have on shoring up the defence whilst also offering additional midfield control. During recent defeats to City and Brighton, it was clear that the Gunners don't have physical profiles in the centre of the park.
They were easily dominated by midfielders who possess a combination of technical security and powerful running, two attributes that Rice offers in abundance. This kind of play below is exactly what the 24-year-old would bring to the Emirates Stadium if he were signed.
During the 2-2 draw between West Ham and Arsenal last month, Rice was able to close Thomas Partey down with a one-man press. He recognised the Ghanaian had his back turned, cutting off the passing angles before intercepting the ball and passing to Lucas Paqueta, who won a penalty for the Hammers.
This kind of defensive nous will help strengthen the Gunners' defence. Of course, he would be expensive but these funds must be effectively allocated to bring in a level-raiser like Rice, even if this is at the expense of signing a new striker.
Jesus is more than capable
There are many reasons that Arsenal, who scored on average 1.6 goals per 90 minutes in the league last season, have averaged 2.3 goals per game this term and a huge one is signing Gabriel Jesus last summer. In 24 matches, Jesus has netted ten times in the league, providing a further five assists.
When you look at the per minutes breakdown, he has notched a direct goal contribution every 126 minutes - the kind of production that wins you a title. But the 26-year-old is so much more than goals and assists, he has been a catalyst.
His general play and unselfish nature have been huge factors in the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli all kicking on in recent months. The attacking quartet bounce off each other very well, it's clear that they have chemistry and they have developed a dynamic that allows them all to chip in - its not Jesus' sole job to find the back of the net.
In fact, all four players' league goal tallies are in the double figures, production that even Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has hailed. "Arsenal are an example of spreading the goals across several shoulders," Tuchel said last week.
"If we’ve been together for a while and had a good preparation, we’d be able to create chances even if we don’t get a world-class No.9. Our goal is to have several players with around 16 goals."
Arsenal's play style suits Jesus and it allows Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard to pitch in instead of everything in their game flowing through an out-and-out goalscoring No.9. Rarely this season would fans have been able to argue that Jesus or even backup Eddie Nketiah are the reason for points dropped, it is fairly evident from the eye test and the aforementioned defensive numbers that other areas of the team must be addressed before looking at adding more goals to this team.
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