Arsenal not signing a striker in the January transfer window might not prove fatal to their Premier League title hopes, as Mikel Arteta's current crop 'know their roles so well'.
That is the view of Gunners legend Ray Parlour, a three-time Premier League winner with the North London giants, whose chances of usurping Liverpool at the top of the rankings suffered a massive blow on Saturday.
Arteta's men looked toothless in attack as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to West Ham United, where Mikel Merino filled in up front as Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli watched on helplessly due to injury.
The Gunners' transfer chiefs failed to strike a deal for a new signing in January and have unsurprisingly been the target of vociferous fan frustrations, but if Liverpool lose to Manchester City on Sunday as well, Arsenal could cut the gap down to five points by winning their eventual game in hand.
As a result, Parlour believes that Arteta and Arsenal still deserve praise for being in the conversation - albeit just about - telling Sports Mole: "Injuries are part and parcel of the season and Arsenal have had their share of injuries this season so far.
"Havertz is a massive blow, to add to Saka as well and for Arsenal to still be in the title race is credit to Mikel and the squad. January is always tough to secure a striker, let alone, one who is of top quality.
"Arsenal obviously couldn't secure their top targets, so stayed with the squad they have, where everyone knows their roles so well. [Ethan] Nwaneri is looking more sharper now and also [Mikel] Merino can have a big part to play.
"Rice is playing further forward and with some more players set to return, Arsenal will give it their all to push Liverpool as close as possible."
Could - and should - Arsenal have done something in January?
© Imago
No-one should be pointing the finger at Arsenal for not landing an Alexander Isak or a Viktor Gyokeres in January, but plenty of their rivals showed that there were obtainable targets in the winter transfer window.
The Gunners could not have moved for Marcus Rashford or another Premier League player on loan - their two such spots are taken up by Neto and Raheem Sterling - but they bizarrely opted against trying to do a short-term deal for a foreign player.
Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani was known to have been seeking pastures new, but as Arsenal passed up on the chance to sign the Frenchman, he swapped PSG for Juventus and has excelled during his earliest days in Serie A, scoring five goals in his first six games for the Old Lady.
Aston Villa also added Donyell Malen - a former Arsenal product - and Marco Asensio to their ranks; the latter's brace helped the Lions secure a 2-1 comeback triumph over Chelsea in Saturday evening's Premier League clash.
Furthermore, Tottenham Hotspur went on the charm offensive to secure Mathys Tel's signature, while Manchester City's outlay on Omar Marmoush is paying off already, evidenced by his hat-trick in last weekend's 4-0 demolition of Newcastle United.
From the outside, there was nothing stopping Arsenal from pursuing any of those deals, which they would likely have had a strong chance of pulling off thanks to their offer of Champions League football and guaranteed starts during their attacking injury crisis.
Martinelli and Havertz both picking up injuries within two weeks of the window shutting was rotten luck, but Arsenal failed to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and the club risk disconnecting themselves from the fans even further if they cannot land that marquee number nine this summer.
While Parlour has not eliminated Arsenal from the title race just yet, he also delivered a grim prediction for Gooners relating to Sunday's Premier League blockbuster between Liverpool and Man City.
Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Online Casino.
Ben Knapton
