Gunners great Ray Parlour has urged Mikel Arteta to spend big on a new playmaker in the summer as he believes that Arsenal lacks the much-needed creativity to possess a greater threat in the final third during games. In recent years, the Premier League side has continued to rely heavily on Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette for most of their goals with little support coming from elsewhere. Jamie Carragher Suggests Arsenal Should Keep Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Risk Selling Him for Free.

Mesut Ozil in the past couple of seasons has failed to produce his best and found game-time hard to come by under former manager Unai Emery. However, under Mikel Arteta, he is playing more regularly but is unable to have a greater impact on games. The North-Londoner’s signed Nicolas Pepe at the start of the season for a club-record transfer fee, however in his first year in England, the Ivory Coast international has failed to live up to the expectations, scoring just 6 times in 32 appearances. Cesc Fabregas on Leaving Arsenal for Barcelona: ‘I Used to Cry, Suffer and Spend Sleepless Nights’ While Other Players Laughed After Defeats.

This is the reason Ray Parlour thinks that Arsenal must spend big for a new attacking midfielder. ‘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 47-year-old said during an interview with talkSPORT.

‘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.’ He added.

Speaking of Arsenal, the Premier League side are in danger of losing their star forward Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang as several reports suggest that the Gabon international could be on his way out. The 30-year-old’s contract is set to expire next year and there has been no word of an agreement on a new deal. Many teams across Europe consider Aubameyang as a bargain due to his track record and low transfer fee.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 08, 2020 05:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).