Mikel Arteta must solve Arsenal’s issues up front before he can bring success to the club, according to Tony Cascarino. The Gunners failed to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he left for Barcelona in January, whilst Alexandre Lacazette has struggled for goals this season and is out of contract in the summer.
Meanwhile, the club’s only other senior striker, Eddie Nketiah, is yet to score in the top flight in 13 appearances this term and is also out of contract in June. The lack of firepower was particularly evident during the 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.
The loss was a damaging blow to Arsenal's hopes of a top four finish and was further compounded by Tottenham’s 4-0 win at Aston Villa. Victory in the Midlands left Antonio Conte’s side three points clear of fifth placed Arsenal and in pole position to clinch a place in next season's Champions League - though the Gunners have a game in hand.
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Whether Arsenal qualify for European football’s elite club competition could affect the quality of striker they're capable of signing. And Cascarino is adamant that Arteta must address the issue in the summer before the Gunners can be successful.
"Lacazette is probably the lowest scoring centre forward," Cascarino said whilst discussing the Gunners' defeat to Brighton on talkSPORT. “He’s got four Premier League goals this season.
"Obviously he’s been in and out the team at times, but he’s played 25 games in the Premier League now and he’s got four goals. Lacazette is an issue. His contract is up in the summer and that’s an area they (Arsenal) they need to fill.
"You cannot do anything in football having a centre-forward that’s got, four, five or six goals in a season."
Arsenal will hope to get their top four hopes back on track when they travel to Southampton on Saturday. However, they could be six points behind Spurs by the time they kick off on the south coast, with their north London rivals hosting Brighton earlier in the day.
