"They should have signed a striker at the start of the season" - Pundit believes Arsenal made 'mistake' by signing 24-year-old star in the summer

Willliam Gallas believes Arsenal shouldn't have signed Kai Havertz last summer. The pundit insists the German attacker will not rack up the numbers in front of goal this season.

The north London outfit secured Havertz's services from London rivals Chelsea ahead of the current season for a reported £65 million. The Germany international initially struggled to find the back of the net and was heavily criticised for his lackluster performances.

He then had a good run of form at the end of November, scoring four goals across competitions before the year ended. Havertz hasn't scored since Arsenal's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in December. Overall, the former Bayer Leverkusen forward has only scored five goals in 29 appearances across all competitions.

Gallas believes the Gunners need a prolific striker, insisting Havertz is not going to score many goals. He said (via Metro):

"Arsenal need a striker but they needed one starting from the beginning of the season and a striker with a different profile.

"We are in January and maybe they’re realising they need another striker. That’s why they should have signed a striker at the start of the season."

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender added:

"They had the opportunity to buy a striker but they bought Kai Havertz. I still believe they made a mistake. How many goals is Havertz going to score? Not many."

The Gunners are in the market for a striker this window and have been linked with Brentford's Ivan Toney and Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.

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William Gallas predicts whether Arsenal will win the Premier League this season

Gallas has backed Manchester City to win the Premier League ahead of the Gunners this season. The pundit has predicted a third-placed finish for his former club, saying (via The Mirror):

"Man City will win it. Then Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham will make up the top four. Aston Villa will finish fifth and Chelsea will finish sixth."

He lauded City's champions mentality this campaign but has backed the north Londoners to end their 20-year wait for a league title next season. Gallas added:

"When the season started, I look at Arsenal and I said they won’t be champions this season. I said it will be City and look what happened on Saturday. They were losing 2-1 and then won 3-2, so it looks like they have the champions mentality. I think it will be City this season but next season I think Arsenal has a good chance."

The Gunners had an excellent start to the 2023-24 season, topping the league table in late December. However, a 1-1 draw with title race rivals Liverpool and back-to-back league defeats saw them move down to fourth place.

Mikel Arteta's side are now five points behind the Merseyside outfit, who are two points above second-placed Manchester City.