Arsenal Warned They Are Weaker Without Key Wingers

Arsenal warned they have “actually got weaker” as Pennant calls for superstar left winger

Arsenal spent big to fix their No.9 problem. Twelve months on, the debate has simply moved a few yards wider.

Viktor Gyokeres arrived as the headline striker signing, the Sweden international handed the responsibility of finally solving Arsenal’s long-running centre-forward riddle. He delivered a respectable return – 21 goals in his debut season – yet he now finds himself watching Kai Havertz lead the line and settling for cameos off the bench.

The real concern, though, sits on the left.

Trossard, Martinelli gone – and no like-for-like

Leandro Trossard, the man who popped up with some of last season’s most decisive contributions, has gone. He is now at Besiktas. Gabriel Martinelli, a fixture at the club for seven years and a constant outlet even when his numbers dipped, has departed for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

Two clutch attacking options. Both out the door.

Jermaine Pennant believes that shift has cut right into Arsenal’s title-winning edge. Speaking to GOAL in association with NetBet Casino, he did not dress it up.

“I think they've actually got weaker,” he said. “I think Arsenal are weaker, especially going forward anyway, than they were last season. Because they've lost some really clutch individuals.

“I think without Trossard they probably wouldn't have won the league. The West Ham goal, you could go on with the important goals he scored – Aston Villa. Then they've lost Martinelli, yeah, his number's dwindled but again it's still a good impact player you can bring off the bench. They've lost him.”

The club have turned to Christos Tzolis on that flank, but for Pennant the drop-off in depth is glaring.

“And they've not really replaced that apart from Tzolis. So if he gets injured or whatnot, their left side's kind of doomed. You’ve got to put [Eberechi] Eze out there, he's not a winger, he's a midfielder.”

Missed targets and a £123m decision

Arsenal have not ignored the market. They just walked away from the biggest price tags.

There were tentative glances towards Vinicius Junior when his contract talks at Real Madrid dragged on, but he stayed put as a fully-fledged ‘Galactico’ at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The real flashpoint came with Bradley Barcola. Once it became clear Paris Saint-Germain would listen to offers, Arsenal sounded out what a deal would cost. The answer was blunt: £123 million ($166m). That was enough for Mikel Arteta and the hierarchy to step back as Liverpool moved in.

So the window closed with Tzolis installed on the left, but without that marquee wide forward many expected once purse strings had clearly loosened in recent seasons.

“They have to at some point”

For Pennant, the conclusion is simple: Arsenal cannot stand still while their rivals reload.

Asked if he expects the club to move for a “superstar” left winger, he replied: “They have to at some point because teams are not going to sit dormant.

“Teams around them are not going to not strengthen in those areas. Come January, I'm sure the likes of Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool and Man City are going to go in the market again and strengthen again. So they have to.”

The warning is stark. Standing pat, in his eyes, means slipping backwards.

“Yes, they’ve strengthened at the back. So I think going forward they definitely need to strengthen. Because they've probably fallen out of favour with Gyokeres and they've reverted back to [Kai] Havertz, who was never really their 15, 20-goal-a-season guy.”

Havertz up front, Saka firing, Odegaard revived

On the pitch, the early evidence of the 2026-27 campaign tells a different story. Havertz has started through the middle, Gyokeres has been reduced to an impact role, and the team have not missed a beat in terms of results.

Club captain Martin Odegaard has rediscovered his spark in the No.10 role, knitting play together and dictating tempo. Bukayo Saka already has two goals, again carrying a heavy load from the right.

Arsenal have been flawless through their first three Premier League fixtures and opened their Champions League campaign with a win over Napoli. Arteta can point to that record and argue he has all the tools required to chase more trophies.

Yet the question lingers over that left flank. Tzolis is in, the system is humming, but the margin for error is thin. One injury, one dip in form, and the conversation Pennant has started will roar back into life.

Will Arsenal wait until that happens – or move first and find the superstar winger their former wide man insists they now need?