Thierry Henry makes Deadline Day demand after Arsenal CRUSH Man City

Robin Bairner

3 Feb 2025 06:34 GMT
2 min read

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been given transfer instructions by club legend Thierry Henry following the crushing 5-1 Premier League victory over Manchester City on Sunday.

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The Gunners have been searching for a centre-forward throughout the transfer window but head into Deadline Day without having reached an agreement to strengthen their front line.

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has joined a precession of players that Arsenal have been linked with, yet the Emirates club had an offer rejected from their Premier League rivals and were given a stern warning from Villans boss Unai Emery that the England international will not be sold.

Arteta has repeated that he is "very confident" the club are doing everything they can in their powers to land a prolific scorer, but Henry is worried that after such a comprehensive victory over Man City, the ambition to find a striker might diminish.

Following the victory, Henry told Sky Sports: “We need a No.9. Nobody is going to be asking for a No.9 after you win 5-1. But we should be asking for one – the situation is still the same. We’ve been asking for a No.9 for FOUR transfer windows.”

ARSENAL TOP SCORERS 2024/25: Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri on the scoresheet in 5-1 Man City win

Injuries hit Arsenal attack

Arsenal do not have a player in double figures for Premier League goals this season, with Kai Havertz their leading marksman on nine.

This lack of cutting edge to the team differs from their title rivals, with Liverpool carried forward on Mohamed Salah’s brilliance. He is on 21 goals for the campaign. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland ha scored at a rate of a goal-per-game since moving to Manchester City, giving Guardiola’s side a valuable tool in their pursuit of glory.

Arsenal’s lack of depth in attack is also a major concern. With Gabriel Jesus seriously injured, Arteta is leaning exclusively on Havertz in attack, while Bukayo Saka’s absence deprives the Spaniard of the club’s offensive talisman and has left them even more reliant on set-pieces.

This was not evident during Sunday’s thumping win over Man City, in which Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri were all on target, yet there is a sense that this is an issue that must be addressed if Arsenal are to claw back Liverpool’s six-point advantage in the Premier League title race.