Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler says Arsenal made a “token gesture” by tabling an offer for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window.

The Gunners’ opening bid for the England international was reportedly worth £40m – £20m below his asking price – and Fowler claims it was not a genuine attempt to sign the player, considering they also knew that Villa were about to sell another striker:

“When Arsenal were linked with Ollie Watkins it looked to me like an almost token gesture. Realistically, with Jhon Duran leaving, there was no chance Villa were going to let him go, so it looked a bit to me like it was done to appease the fans as opposed to a serious offer.”

It should be pointed out that Arsenal’s bid for Watkins was made prior to Al Nassr’s offer for Duran but Fowler’s remarks do have some weight, based on how low their initial proposal was.

Arsenal have been urged to replace Havertz

In addition to his remarks about Watkins, Fowler also stated that Mikel Arteta’s side are not going to win the Premier League with Kai Havertz leading the line.

The former Chelsea forward is Arsenal’s top scorer this season, with 15 goals in all competition, but Fowler says Havertz is not “consistent” enough to be the club’s first-choice up front.

A striker is a top priority for the next transfer window

Reports suggest that the Gunners are likely to be keeping funds back for the summer when a sizeable bid could be lodged for a new No.9.

The player on everyone’s lips at the moment is Newcastle’s Alexander Isak but his £150m asking price is problematic. A more realistic target is thought to be Benjamin Sesko.

An enquiry was knocked by RB Leipzig in January but it is believed that the Slovenian international will be available for a fee in the region of £60m at the end of the season.

Read our exclusive interview with Shaun Wright-Phillips as he talks about Arsenal’s striker dilemma and a potential move for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.