“What he is doing right now is brilliant” - Thierry Henry lavishes praise on Arsenal target after Gunners slip to defeat against West Ham

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has delivered a glowing endorsement for the club's January target Dominic Solanke after his impressive run of form with Bournemouth. The praise comes after the Gunners suffered their first home defeat (0-2) of the season against West Ham United on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta's side had their chances to finish off the Hammers but failed to do so, courtesy of a great deal of profligacy in front of goal. They attempted 30 shots but failed to convert any, with striker Gabriel Jesus failing to lead the attack properly.

Jesus attempted three shots in the match and missed several gilt-edged chances, lending credence to his side's pursuit of a new striker. Arsenal are looking to sign a new striker in January, and Thierry Henry spoke with Amazon Prime about their target, Solanke.

"Dominic Solanke, the way he is playing at Bournemouth, not only him, the team is doing extremely well, but we have been waiting for him to be that player," Henry said. "I guess it was a bit too much when he was younger. But what he is doing right now is brilliant. I am happy for him because he did struggle for a little bit. Now he is looking good."

Solanke has been in terrific form this season, helping Bournemouth avoid a relegation battle. The England international has scored 12 goals and provided an assist for the Cherries in 18 league appearances this season, his personal best tally so far.

Arsenal are in the market for a new striker to provide a greater goalscoring threat in their squad after the struggles of Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. They have targeted Ivan Toney, but have Solanke as a backup option in case a transfer does not go through.

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Arsenal's struggles evident in West Ham defeat

Arsenal were looking to end the first half of the season atop the Premier League standings, and a win over West Ham would have ensured that. In what was Declan Rice's first game against the Hammers, the Gunners failed to claim all three points despite their dominance.

They had 75% of the ball and took 30 shots, with eight being on target. They also had 77 touches in the West Ham box but failed to convert a single chance throughout the encounter.

West Ham scored twice in either half through Tomas Soucek and former Gunner Konstantinos Mavropanos for an easy win. Said Benrahma missed a late penalty in the clash as the Hammers ended the year in the top six.