Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club are having “to live” with the fact that they don’t have a forward who can score 35+ goals a season.

Responding to a question by Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, who claimed that the Gunners need to sign a new No.9, Arteta was initially dismissive of the suggestion before he admitted that his team don’t have one prolific goalscorer:

“The reality is we don’t have a striker who is going to score 35, 40 goals – and we have to live with that. We have many other qualities. And today’s the day to stick behind the players because they have given us so much, they have taken us on this journey and we still have the Premier League to play.”

Arsenal have scored 75 goals in the Premier League this season, which is a figure that is only bettered by league leaders Manchester City (76).

However, only one player (Bukayo Saka) has surpassed the 15-goal mark so far this campaign. Leandro Trossard (13), Martin Odegaard (10) and Kai Havertz (10) have reached double figures but it’s fair to say that the Gunners are lacking a poacher.

Who could Arsenal target during the summer transfer window?

The London club have been heavily linked with the likes of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Brentford’s Ivan Toney in recent months but, for different reasons, the trio are not expected to be priority targets.

Osimhen could cost as much as £110m, which is beyond the Gunners’ price range. A move for Ferguson could also be rather expensive, while interest in Toney has cooled due to his age.

The likes of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee are believed to be more likely options, although Chelsea and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in those players.