Graeme Souness singles out an Arsenal star who has failed to improve under Mikel Arteta

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Graeme Souness believes Arsenal are still short of challenging Premier League leaders Liverpool, stating they require a couple of top strikers and that Kai Havertz is not the solution.

Liverpool legend and football pundit Graeme Souness has voiced his opinion that Arsenal is still short of challenging Premier League leaders Liverpool, citing the need for a couple of top strikers. In his latest column for the Daily Mail, Souness emphasized that Kai Havertz is not the solution for Arsenal’s title aspirations.

Souness pointed out that while Mikel Arteta has built a strong team, Arsenal lacks the crucial element of consistent goal-scorers. “Mikel Arteta has built a really good team who are still a couple of top strikers away from challenging Liverpool to be the very best,” Souness wrote. He added, “Those strikers are the hardest thing to find. The most important ingredient in building a winning team — and very much Arsenal’s missing ingredient.”

The pundit suggested that bringing in a prolific striker like Alexander Isak from Newcastle United could make a significant difference. “Put Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak in that Arsenal team — because he’s the player they want to buy this summer — and you are looking at a side who would be the finished article and ready to get their hands on either of the two big trophies,” Souness wrote.

gettyimages 2197289149 612x612 1 — NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 5: Kai Havertz of Arsenal during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James’ Park on February 5, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Souness also highlighted Arsenal’s recent Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle United as evidence of their need for better strikers. Despite dominating possession, Arsenal failed to convert their chances, ultimately losing 4-0 on aggregate. “Arsenal should have owned those games. One day, they go and score five against Manchester City. Three days later they dominate Newcastle and come unstuck,” he said.

The pundit concluded that without top-quality strikers, Arsenal will continue to struggle against teams like Liverpool, who have more reliable goal-scorers. “It is the fundamental difference between them and Liverpool. My old club have better goalscorers, which means they don’t have to play well to win games and are less reliant on set-pieces,” Souness added.