Mikel Merino’s brief shining moment in Arsenal’s attack was a fleeting hope.

His impressive goals against Leicester seemed like the answer to their front-line issues, but just a week later, Arsenal’s shortcomings in attack were laid bare again.

This issue, rooted in Kai Havertz’s season-ending injury, was never fully addressed by the club, and it has now reared its head once more.

The club is facing a critical gap up front that has lingered unaddressed for several transfer windows.

As the team gears up for a third consecutive title challenge, this missing piece could become the downfall they were warned about earlier in the season.

An Attack That Lacks Punch

With key players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli sidelined, Arsenal faces an uphill battle. The defeat to West Ham highlighted this vulnerability.

West Ham’s well-disciplined defense, led by Graham Potter, made it clear that Arsenal’s attack was insufficient without a true striker.

Against teams like Nottingham Forest, with strong central defenders like Murillo and Milenkovic, Arsenal will continue to struggle with the same issues.

Merino, despite his efforts, couldn’t offer enough of a goal-scoring threat, and the rest of the team struggled to find their rhythm.

Poor Statistics Tell the Story

Looking at the stats from the West Ham match tells you everything you need to know.

Arsenal had 20 shots on goal, but only two were on target.

West Ham, on the other hand, had five shots, two of which found the mark.

Arsenal dominated possession, but lacked the clinical edge needed to convert chances into goals.

Despite the effort, the midfield couldn’t supply the creativity required to break through West Ham’s defense, and even captain Martin Ødegaard wasn’t at his best.

With Declan Rice and Ethan Nwaneri also struggling, it was clear that something was missing across the board.

The Makeshift Striker Dilemma

The core issue for Arsenal remains the need to play a defensive midfielder, Merino, as a makeshift striker.

While Merino fought hard, winning aerial duels and laying off passes to teammates, West Ham’s defenders were rarely troubled by his lack of pace or goal-scoring ability.

His brace against Leicester appeared more and more like a fluke, and he was unable to make a meaningful impact in the West Ham game.

This gap in the squad has been an issue for Arsenal for months, and it’s not surprising they find themselves stuck in this situation.

The Missed Opportunities in the Transfer Window

Even before Havertz’s injury, Arsenal was already thin up front due to the absences of key players like Saka, Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus.

When Jesus suffered his ACL injury against Manchester United in the FA Cup, Arsenal should have moved quickly to sign a forward, but instead, they failed to secure anyone better than a player with no prior experience as a striker.

Despite exploring options like Ollie Watkins, the club hesitated to make a big-money move and couldn’t even secure a short-term loan deal.

In hindsight, those missed opportunities now seem like a costly mistake.

The Manager’s Limited Options

When Arsenal found themselves 1-0 down to West Ham after Jarrod Bowen’s header, Mikel Arteta was left with few attacking options on the bench.

Of the nine substitutes, five were full-backs, leaving just two potential attackers: Raheem Sterling and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.

Sterling has been ineffective in his loan spell from Chelsea, and Butler-Oyedeji, still young and inexperienced, was unlikely to provide the spark Arsenal needed.

With no real options to change the game, the team’s lack of depth became even more apparent.

A Familiar Feeling of Deja Vu

The defeat to West Ham felt all too familiar. It mirrored their loss to the Hammers last December, where they failed to break down a well-organized team despite taking 30 shots on goal.

In that game, only eight of those shots were on target, and many were from long range or blocked.

Arteta himself referenced the high shot totals after that defeat, showing how little Arsenal had to show for their dominance in possession.

The lack of a true goal-scorer has become a recurring issue that continues to hinder Arsenal’s progress.

A Major Setback in the Title Race

With the title race still wide open, Saturday’s loss is a significant blow to Arsenal’s hopes of catching Liverpool.

The Gunners had hoped to capitalize on Liverpool’s recent draws, but without a striker and with an attack that lacks the killer instinct, they are setting themselves up for another season of heartbreak.

As the team enters the final stretch of the season, it’s clear that the failures in the January transfer window are weighing heavily on Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy.

The Unanswered Question

As Arsenal moves forward, the question remains: How long can they rely on a makeshift striker and hope for the best? The club’s failure to sign a proven forward in the transfer window may prove to be their undoing, and without a quick fix, this hole in their squad could prevent them from reaching their full potential this season.

With the title slipping away, Arsenal must face the consequences of their inaction and look for a way to address their attacking woes before it’s too late.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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