Arsenal’s defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion has reignited the debate over the summer choice to allow Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli to depart.
The Premier League title holders came to the Amex with the league’s sturdiest backline, having let in just one goal across their first four fixtures. Brighton shattered that record without showing any deference to the Gunners’ defence, confronting them with a forceful display rooted in pressing, recovering the ball high up the pitch, and launching swift attacks.
Yet the more intriguing concern for Arsenal lies at the opposite end of the field.
The club permitted Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard to exit last summer without signing another proven forward. Arsenal had chased Julian Alvarez and other top-tier attacking options but concluded the transfer window without the significant forward addition that many had anticipated. Following the Brighton match, that choice merits scrutiny, particularly with global attention fixed on Mikel Arteta.
Do Arsenal require another centre-forward?
Clearly, they do, since they parted ways with Jesus. Viktor Gyökeres is not necessarily insufficient, but the Gunners lack adequate cover behind him. Gyökeres is the clear first-choice centre-forward and the sole out-and-out striker in the squad, one who has also been displaced by the hybrid Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino, midfielders who have filled that role capably.
Without an additional striker, Arsenal do not possess the necessary squad depth to contend across the Premier League, Champions League, and domestic cups. Should Gyökeres suffer an injury, suspension, or simply endure a dip in form, they cannot entirely depend on Havertz and Merino to anchor that position as a true striker would, since they are not strikers by trade. The concern is also tactical in nature.
Arsenal have assembled an attack skilled at controlling possession and generating sustained territorial pressure, but rivals will ultimately devise methods to break it down. A second striker with contrasting attributes offers Arteta an alternative approach into matches.
On the flanks, Bukayo Saka is irreplaceable. Noni Madueke offers speed, direct dribbling and one-on-one capability, but he is fundamentally a wide forward rather than an answer at centre-forward.
His own Arsenal prospects are likewise drawing attention. Reports suggest Juventus and Atlético de Madrid are tracking him ahead of January, though no official talks have been documented. Madueke has found regular league minutes hard to come by this season, making a loan switch a possibility if his circumstances remain unchanged. So no, Saka and Madueke are not sufficient by themselves.
Has Brighton exposed Arsenal’s blueprint?
This is the question that numerous supporters and pundits tried to address yesterday. But let us examine the match briefly to provide an answer. Brighton did not merely sit back against Arsenal.
They targeted the champions’ build-up play, regained possession high, and instantly surged into the gaps Arsenal vacated. That is significant because Arsenal’s defensive setup is outstanding when the team dictates the flow. Brighton reversed the narrative by taking charge and generating maximum disorder, illustrating what occurs when an opponent denies Arsenal that control.
The 3-0 result should not overshadow Arsenal’s defensive quality, but it does expose the risk of depending on a single dominant game plan. The greater caution for Arsenal is therefore not that their defence has abruptly declined, but how to manage matches when control is absent, because their attack vanishes entirely in such scenarios.