Glenn Hoddle believes Arsenal have ‘all the equipment’ to win the Premier League this season – but believes a reliable no9 could still be the missing link despite the signing of Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners eased to a 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Saturday afternoon with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka on the score sheet in north London.
The victory moved Arsenal to the top of the Premier League with Liverpool in action against Chelsea Saturday evening.
Arsenal added considerable strength in depth to their squad during the summer transfer window with Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi all showing their worth.
With previous title charges let down by the absence of a reliable striker, Arsenal have turned to Gyokeres to solve that particular issue.
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But former England boss Hoddle believes there are still doubts over whether the Sweden international can deliver.
‘He [Arteta] has got the equipment to win the league, there is no doubt about it,’ Hoddle told Premier League Productions.
‘They have got good defenders, they can defend as a team and they have offensive players and creators too.
‘The only missing link at the moment is a no9 that is going to put the ball in the back of the net, time and time again.
‘Gyokeres might end up like that, I don’t know, I think that is the only question mark there.’
Gyokeres failed to get on the scoresheet again on Saturday, largely anonymous against West Ham as he extended a run of five games without a goal.
The former Sporting CP was on the score sheet in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on 13 September having bagged a double in the 5-0 win over Leeds United in the previous home game.
Areta however is confident the goals will soon start flowing.
‘What I sense is that he’s doing better and better things every game,’ Arteta said midweek.
‘He was denied a few times with blocks, and then he hit the post, but I think overall his performance was exceptional.
‘Again, his work was really good, and yeah, we want him to be scoring goals, but if he doesn’t do that, at least to do everything as he’s doing for the team, because he’s helping the team a lot.’