Graeme Souness blasts Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for spending £60m on summer signing

Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has blasted Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for splashing £60 million on Kai Harvertz during the summer transfer window. The pundit argued that that money should've been spent on signing a striker instead.

Kai Harvertz became an Arsenal player after the Gunners agreed to pay Chelsea £60 million for his signature last year. Mikel Arteta went all out to get the German, whom he believed would provide him with a lot of options. However, the experiment hasn't proven to be successful.

Since switching to the Emirates Stadium, Havertz has recorded just five goals to his name in 29 games across all competitions. The 24-year-old has been guilty of spurring plenty of chances and rarely looks like a threat in front of goal.

After witnessing the player's struggles this season, Graeme Souness is convinced that he doesn't add anything new to the side and isn't an upgrade on a player like Emile Smith Rowe.

“I like Smith Rowe. As a midfield player running into the box, clever passes, everything seems to be done when he is sprinting which I like. Goal threat,” Souness told talkSPORT. “Then you go spend £60m, Arteta. So the point I want to make is that £60m, I think is a fair criticism, you’ve spent…"

The pundit went on to state that what Arsenal really needed was a striker to fire them in front of goal.

“You know what I am on about, building a football team, you try to strengthen the weakest part of your team. I think for most people, Arsenal needed another striker with [Gabriel] Jesus," he said.

“You go and take Kai Havertz from Chelsea for big money when really you’ve got a homegrown player that is every bit as good as him so that £60m should have been maybe directed towards a striker and that might cost them, a different kind of striker,” Souness added.

Kai Harvertz's contract with Arsenal is expected to run until the summer of 2028.

What's next for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal?

After losing to Liverpool 2-0 in the FA Cup in their last game, Arsenal will return to action in the Premier League this weekend. They're scheduled to take on Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (January 20).

Following that, Arteta's side will go head-to-head with Nottingham Forest away from home on January 30 before locking horns with Liverpool once again, this time in the Premier League on February 4.

It is worth noting that the Gunners are currently not in the best run of form. They've claimed just one victory in their last five outings across all competitions and will be eager to bounce back versus Crystal Palace.