The Gunners are faltering badly in front of goal, and something needs to change if they are to challenge for trophies in 2024

The Arsenal fans who were sat near the press box during the Gunners' galling FA Cup third-round exit to Liverpool on Sunday did not hide their feelings. "Sign a striker," they shouted, as their side wasted chance after chance during the eventual 2-0 defeat.

Quizzed on this at the end of the game, Mikel Arteta gave an answer that will not go any way to addressing the fans' concerns. "At the moment, [signing a centre-forward] does not look realistic," he told . "What my job is, and what we have to do is improve our players and try to get better results with the players we have."

That may indeed have been the club's stance prior to Arsenal's third-straight defeat in all competitions, but sporting director Edu will no doubt be performing all sorts of creative accounting over the coming days in an attempt to provide Arteta with some extra firepower. Indeed, the manager himself later admitted in his press conference: "One thing is what we need and another is what we can do."

This lack of goals is becoming increasingly untenable, and if the Gunners boss cannot find a way to get his team scoring again, their season is in serious danger of petering out.

GettyExtremely concerning trend

It wasn't just the Liverpool game that highlighted Arsenal's desperate desire for an ice-cold finisher. With that result taken into account, the Gunners have now generated 61 shots and 6.47 expected goals (xG) over their past three matches – all losing efforts – but only scored once.

The picture looks equally bad when we extend the sample to seven games, during which time Arsenal have won just once in all competitions. Over that period, their 11.6 xG has returned just five goals, a remarkable underperformance considering how lethal the Gunners were in the final third for the majority of last season.

Speaking after the Liverpool defeat, Arteta was asked whether his side's timidity in front of goal was the result of a psychological issue. "Probably," he responded. "Especially after today, more than it was against Fulham or West Ham before that. That's why I think we need to reset. This break is good. It comes in a good time. We're going to as well feel how we feel and how I feel about them in difficult moments. Hopefully I can see that from other people too. When things are going well they jump on the train. Now things are difficult, let's see where they stand."

AdvertisementGettyWhy have Arsenal stopped scoring?

One of the complexities of Arsenal's recent poor run is, despite the poor results, they have continued to carve out chances at an impressive rate. It just so happens that their attacking midfielders and forwards appear to have simultaneously all lost that killer instinct in front of goal.

After scoring an impressive 15 times in the Premier League last campaign, Martin Odegaard has been far less productive this season. The Gunners captain is currently on a six-game scoreless streak, having netted just four times in 2023-24.

It's a similar story with Gabriel Martinelli, who's scored only once in his last 12 Premier League matches. Even Bukayo Saka, who usually produces like clockwork in front of goal, has seen his form desert him over the past few weeks; he's managed just one strike in his last seven games in all competitions.

In the case of these two widemen, there's a feeling among the fanbase that their effectiveness is being stifled by Arteta's increased desire for control this season. As pointed out by , both Saka and Martinelli are receiving the ball earlier in attacks and hugging the touchline as the Gunners eschew risky take-ons in favour of keeping hold of possession. There's a possibility that this top-down desire for "dominance", as Arteta described it recently, is manifesting itself into hesitant finishing.

Against Liverpool, the Emirates crowd became vocally frustrated by their side dwelling on the ball when they could have shot, with Reiss Nelson, Kai Havertz and Odegaard all guilty of taking too many touches in and around the box.

This unfortunate trait extends to Arteta's strikers too. Eddie Nketiah, who was close to leaving in the summer, hasn't netted a Premier League goal since his hat-trick against Sheffield United all the way back in October, while Gabriel Jesus – who is injured again – has underperformed his personal xG by a staggering 1.8 this season. Only 12 Premier League players have fared worse.

Getty ImagesThe £65m albatross around Arteta's neck

Another Arsenal player suffering with butterflies in front of goal is Havertz. Against Liverpool, he missed four presentable chances in the first half. The most glaring of these was a free header from inside the six-yard box which flew wide of the post – an image that Gunners fans have grown depressingly used to seeing since the German's £65 million ($82m) move from Chelsea.

It wasn't all bad from Havertz on Sunday, as his link-up play and movement caused Liverpool issues at times, but having cost such a significant sum, he simply must start scoring more frequently, whether that be as a striker or a No.8.

This is particularly important as his transfer fee has hamstrung Arteta this January. It's pretty clear that if the funds were available, the Gunners would at least try to sign a centre-forward this month. However, Arteta and Edu decided to prioritise other areas in the summer, bringing in Jurrien Timber, David Raya and Declan Rice alongside Havertz.

There was significant chatter about Arsenal needing a reliable goalscorer before the season kicked-off and this has proved to be a prophetic discussion.

Getty ImagesToney would be perfect – but it's not happening

If Arsenal had decided against bringing in Havertz, there would be more money in the pot to recruit Ivan Toney this month. However, with Brentford slapping a £100m ($127m) price tag on his head, it seems implausible that will be able to do that in January.

Ironically, Arteta's decision to strengthen in the goalkeeping department instead of signing a striker has also ruled out a creative way of getting the deal done. In theory, Toney might have been able to join on loan with an option-to-buy inserted into the agreement. But as Arsenal already have a similar deal in place with the Bees for Raya, Premier League rules mean it is not permissible.

It's an incredibly frustrating situation for Arsenal, which looks like mismanagement in hindsight. Toney is Premier League-proven, clearly ready to take the next step in his career and balances his excellent goalscoring record with an often underappreciated all-round game. He's also understood to be open to moving to the Emirates, though his most recent comments suggest that he will not be pushing for a January transfer.

"Everyone knows Brentford is a family club, they have been nothing but amazing for me. I can't thank them enough, especially the fans. They were behind me from the first minute as well. So it's kind of like I have a lot to repay," he told .