Martin Keown believes Arsenal may have already reached an agreement for a new striker ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Gunners trail top-of-the-table Liverpool by 12 points ahead of their return to Premier League action against Fulham and the club’s inconsistency over a difficult winter period has largely been put down to the club’s lack of firepower up front.
A host of high-profile centre-forwards were linked with the north London outfit in the wake of Gabriel Jesus’ season-ending injury in January, including Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins, Alvaro Morata and Benjamin Sesko.
But the transfer deadline came and went without any additions being made and the loss of another attacker, Kai Havertz, to injury has only intensified calls for a proven goalscorer to be brought to the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta is understood to have placed Isak at the top of his transfer shortlist for the summer but Arsenal are aware a deal for the Swede will not come cheap, with Newcastle reportedly demanding an eye-watering £160million for their prized possession.
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‘I just feel with Isak, now they [Newcastle] won that [trophy], it’s going to be even more difficult to get him away from there,’ former Arsenal defender Keown told BT Sport of the Gunners’ links with Isak.
‘The whole world is on it. It’s about finding these players before everybody else does.
‘There’s a new director of football now. You’ve got to go after the players, a good free transfer.
‘You can’t just keep spending money on the obvious Declan Rice,
‘But you can be certain this summer they will be buying a striker, without doubt.’
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Keown hopes Arsenal will have learned from their ‘mistake’ and believes his former club may have already completed a deal for a top striker behind closed doors.
‘I would suggest that there is already a player bought and it’s already done from an Arsenal point of view,’ the three-time Premier League winner added.
‘They won’t make that mistake again.’
Widespread reports in January claimed Arsenal had made an unsuccessful bid in the region of £60m to lure England striker Ollie Watkins away from Aston Villa.
Peter Crouch, joining Keown on BT Sport’s The Breakdown, felt that offer was ‘absolutely ridiculous’ considering there was ‘no way’ Watkins would have moved midway through the campaign.
‘I just thought the Ollie Watkins bid was absolutely ridiculous,’ the former Liverpool, Tottenham and England forward said.
‘There was no way he was going to leave, they’re still in the Champions League by the way.
‘It was a low offer really. It just felt like that was to appease the fans: we are involved in trying to get a striker.’
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