“Absolute amateur hour" - Chris Sutton calls out Arsenal for not addressing 'totally unacceptable' issues

Former Chelsea forward Chris Sutton has slammed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for not sorting out the striker issue last summer. The Gunners were expected to sign a new No. 9 before the start of the current campaign, but failed to rope in a new face.

Arteta opted to deploy Kai Havertz in the position, with Gabriel Jesus serving as his backup. However, with both players sidelined for the season with injuries, the Spanish manager has had to use midfielder Mikel Merino regularly in the role.

Speaking on The BBC's Football Daily podcast, Sutton hit out at Arteta for the lack of depth in the No. 9 position in the squad.

“But that’s something he should have seen and should have affected last summer, the whole striker thing. And something they should have made a play for, somebody in that position. For Arsenal, when you actually think about this, for Arsenal to have to resort to, and Merino did well, but have to resort to playing a player who had never played as a centre forward and just throw him up, that’s amateur hour, really,” said Sutton (via TBRFootball).

He continued:

“Absolute amateur hour. And to be there five years and to be in that situation, and you can talk about injuries, that’s totally unacceptable. And they are the margins and something he could have and should have affected. So we can’t talk about luck when he’s not doing his own job, probably."

The north London side are expected to invest in a new striker this summer, with Newcastle United's Alexander Isak reportedly on their radar.

Are Arsenal close to securing the services of a Ligue 1 striker this summer?

Arsenal are the favorites to sign Jonathan David this summer, according to Inter Live (via TEAMtalk). The Canadian striker's contract with Lille expires this summer, and he looks set to leave as a free agent.

David has been on fire this season for the Ligue 1 giants, registering 25 goals and 12 assists from 48 games across competitions. His efforts have already earned him admirers at multiple clubs across the continent.

Napoli are reportedly willing to offer him a contract worth €4m per year, but the player's entourage are holding out for annual wages of €5.5m. That wouldn't be an issue for Arsenal, who remain the favorites to lap him up this summer. Juventus and Inter Milan are in the race as well.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava