Arsenal told to sign new No10 to soften blow of potential Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer

Joe Krishnan8 June 2020

Arsenal should be looking to sign a new goalscoring midfielder this summer to address their lack of goals, says Ray Parlour.

The Gunners have targeted Turkish midfielder Orkun Kokcu from Feyenoord but may be limited to loans and free transfers as a result of the financial difficulties facing the club following the coronavirus pandemic.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hit 17 of Arsenal's 40 goals in the Premier League this season, while attackers Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Mesut Ozil have scored just 12 goals between them in the league.

There are doubts arising over whether the Gabon international will stay at the Emirates Stadium, having only a year left to run on his current deal, and Arsenal could be forced to sell their star striker this summer.

And Parlour believes Mikel Arteta must prioritise adding a midfielder to his squad who can contribute goals and assists to share the goalscoring burden.

Arteta will be hoping to reshape his squad this summer  Photo: Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

He told talkSPORT: "The goals are not really spread around the team are they with Arsenal?

"You get Lacazette who can chip in with a few, Ozil probably doesn’t score enough for the position he plays.

"The midfield are very much more defensive minded, [Granit] Xhaka is not going to score you goals, [Lucas] Torreira’s not going to score you goals, they’ve lost [Aaron] Ramsey, who was the goalscorer from midfield.

"So, I look at an attacking midfielder who’s probably going to score you 10 goals a season, but you’re talking big money then, so spend."

Parlour also warned that if Aubameyang may head for the exit should Arsenal not qualify for the Champions League, leaving them struggling to score goals.

In Pictures | Arsenal thrash Charlton 6-0 in friendly | 06/06/2020

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"If they [Arsenal] can come back and hit the ground running and get a good start to the season, obviously the Man City game is going to be very important, if they can get anything out of that game that will give them a lot of confidence going forward," he added.

"Champions League football is so important for a lot of players these days so Aubameyang, if they can squeeze in there, might sign a new contract, I don’t know.

"If they don’t, then he might be on his way and suddenly you’ve got to replace a striker who scores all your goals."

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