Arteta has 'already signed a striker' for Arsenal as transfer bombshell dropped

Arsenal have needed to sign a new forward for a couple of seasons and former Gunner Martin Keown believes that the club may have already got a deal over the line ahead of the summer window

Arsenal have ALREADY sealed a sensational deal for a new striker, Gunners icon Martin Keown has suggested. The North London side have been screaming out for a new forward over recent seasons.

Former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the last out-and-out striker to break the 20-goal mark for Arsenal - that coming all the way back during the 2019/20 season. Mikel Arteta’s side have already been linked with a few candidates for a summer move.

Newcastle sensation Alexander Isak has been linked, while there are also rumours circling around Viktor Gyokeres and Dusan Vlahovic. Asked about Arsenal’s need for a new striker, Keown has suggested that a deal for Isak could be very tricky, albeit a big-money move for someone else looks to be a certainty.

Speaking to TNT Sports, the former defender said: “I just feel with Isak, now they [Newcastle] won that [trophy], it’s going to be even more difficult to get him away from there.

“The whole world is on it. It’s about finding these players before everybody else does. There’s a new director of football now. You’ve got to go after the players, a good free transfer.

“You can’t just keep spending money on the obvious Declan Rice. But you can be certain this summer they will be buying a striker, without doubt.”

And Keown is so convinced that the Gunners will be signing a striker over the coming months, that he has revealed that a deal may already have been done. He added: “I would suggest that there is already a player bought and it’s already done from an Arsenal point of view. They won’t make that mistake again.”

And while Keown believes that a lack of a reliable goalscorer has been at the heart of Arsenal’s issues this season, ex- Liverpool star Jamie Carragher does not agree. He has suggested that their problems have been a lack of creativity throughout the campaign.

Speaking earlier this month, he said: "But the problem they have is not a finishing problem. It's a creation problem. They don't create enough chances. That's the biggest problem that they've got right now."

He added: "I keep going back to people saying they need a number nine. If Arsenal would have had a number nine - let's say Erling Haaland was playing centre-forward for Arsenal this season - would they have scored more goals?

"Of course they would, because he's a top striker and a great finisher, but on the basis of those three games I've shown you, the best chances they had, Haaland doesn't make any difference. He does not."