Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may need to secure a striker with qualities similar to Erling Haaland to help the team narrow the gap with Manchester City.

Emmanuel Petit, a former Arsenal player, has advised Arteta to target a “goalscorer” and has cited Manchester City’s acquisition of Haaland as a prime example of the type of player Arsenal should pursue. Petit emphasized the need for a prolific scorer, suggesting that players like Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, while talented, do not fit the mold of a typical goalscorer.

Arsenal has had a solid start to the season, maintaining an unbeaten record alongside City, Tottenham, and Liverpool. However, of the nine goals scored in their opening five matches, only three have been contributed by their strikers, Jesus and Nketiah.

Jesus, who joined Arsenal for £45 million in 2022, has struggled with fitness issues and has only played 39 minutes this season. Nketiah filled in for him during his absence last season, but together they managed to score just 15 goals in the Premier League in 2022-23. In contrast, players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli individually reached the 15-goal mark.

Petit believes that to close the gap with Manchester City, Arsenal needs a natural goalscorer similar to Haaland, someone capable of netting 30 goals in a season. He drew a parallel with Manchester City’s approach, where Pep Guardiola initially believed he could win the Champions League without a traditional striker but later changed his mind and signed a goalscorer, leading to their success.

“The aim of football is to score goals and win,” Petit explained. “I like Jesus, but he needs a few chances to score. Arsenal is lacking a prolific scorer.”

While finding a striker of Haaland’s caliber is challenging, given his record-breaking 36 goals in a Premier League season, Petit mentioned Brighton’s Evan Ferguson as a potential candidate. Ferguson is a young talent known for his goal-scoring ability and has shown promise at Brighton. However, Petit also noted that it might be too early for Ferguson to make a move, and Arsenal may need a more experienced striker.

“Evan Ferguson could be that striker, why not? He’s a very young guy and he’s already a great goalscorer,” Petit suggested. “He’s doing well at Brighton so far. If I were him, I’d look at how the team is improving with De Zerbi and I’d want to stay there for now.”

In conclusion, Petit highlighted Arsenal’s need for a ready-made goalscorer to enhance their attacking prowess and potentially close the gap with the top teams, taking inspiration from Manchester City’s successful adaptation.