It Took Arsenal Too Long To Realize They Need A Striker – Alan Shearer

EPL legend, Alan Shearer has come out to question the timing of Arsenal’s approach for Aston Villa striker, Ollie Watkins. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, the timing of the approach was definitely naughty by the Gunners, because he does not understand why Arsenal chose the afternoon of a Champions League game when they’ve had all month to put the bid in.

Shearer added that he also doesn’t know why know why it’s taken them so long to realize that they need a centre forward.

His words, “There’s no way Arsenal get Ollie Watkins now, I mean they just couldn’t do it, even if they thought it was a good business deal, it was either going to be one or the other and they chose to let Duran go.

From an Arsenal point of view it was pretty naughty the timing of it, on the afternoon of a Champions League game, when you consider they’ve had all month they put the bid in and they’ve known what they’re missing for seven or eight months. It’s not as if they’ve just realised what they’re missing. It doesn’t take an idiot to work out what they need and now Arsenal have hit the panic button.

I don’t know why it’s taken them so long to realise that they need a centre forward, so many people have talked about it for such a long time. [Mikel] Arteta will point to [Bukayo] Saka and [Gabriel] Jesus being out injured, but they needed a centre forward even before they were injured. The only surprise to me is it’s taken so long in the window for them to make a move. Watkins is the sort of player that would make the difference for them, in him you’re getting someone who’s ready-made, but Villa are not going to sell him.”

WOW.

Arsenal Football Club is an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London. Arsenal compete in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.

The club has won 13 league titles (including one unbeaten title), a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, 17 FA Community Shields, the Football League Centenary Trophy, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In terms of trophies won, it is the third-most successful club in English football.

After conducting an overhaul in the club’s operating model to coincide with Wenger’s departure, Spaniard Unai Emery was named as the club’s new head coach on 23 May 2018. He became the club’s first ever ‘head coach’ and second manager from outside the United Kingdom.

In Emery’s first season, Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League and as runner-up in the Europa League. On 29 November 2019, Emery was dismissed as manager and former player and assistant first team coach Freddie Ljungberg was appointed as interim head coach. On 20 December 2019, Arsenal appointed former club captain Mikel Arteta as the new head coach. Arsenal finished the league season in eighth, their lowest finish since 1994–95, but beat Chelsea 2–1 to earn a record-extending 14th FA Cup win. After the season. Arteta’s title was changed from head coach to manager.