Former Manchester City Defender Names Striker Arteta Should Sign Ahead of Next Season
- Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has suggested Arsenal should sign the striker ahead of the 2026/27 season
- The Gunners won the Premier League title after 22 years, with coach Mikel Arteta recording second place in three consecutive seasons
- The North London side lost 4-3 on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final
Former England international Micah Richards has told Mikel Arteta to sign a striker ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Arsenal held their trophy parade in north London on Sunday, May 31, after winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
The North London side under Mikel Arteta recorded three consecutive second-place finishes (2023, 2024 and 2025) before landing the trophy at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal were on the verge of winning a double before losing 4-3 on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League after playing a 1-1 draw after extra time.
Source: Getty Images
Richards wants Julian Alvarez
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has urged Mikel Arteta to make a move for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.
The former England international believes Arsenal need greater attacking depth and a high-quality forward capable of making an impact from the bench when required.
Richards praised both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres for their performances during the recently concluded season but insisted that adding a player of Alvarez's quality would further strengthen the Gunners' title ambitions. He said via UK Metro:
"I think they need another striker. Kai Havertz is outstanding in terms of technical ability and Viktor Gyokeres has done well in his first season. But if they could get someone like Julian Alvarez, that would just give Arsenal something different.
"He’s one of the best strikers in world football going into the World Cup and he’s already won one of those with Argentina.
Julian won two Premier League titles at Man City and is valued at around 150m euros (£120m) by Atletico Madrid, who are also aware of interest from La Liga champions Barcelona.
Richards stated that Arsenal needs to secure the services of a left-winger and a centre midfielder before the commencement of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
The former Aston Villa defender added that the duo of Christian Norgaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly have not been able to get the best out of Martin Zubimendi. Richards said:
"I think they also need another left-winger and another centre midfielder. Bringing in Christian Norgaard has worked to a certain degree in terms of his temperament and Myles Lewis-Skelly has shown he can definitely do a job in there.
Source: Getty Images
"But to get the best out of someone like [Martin] Zubimendi you need to be a little bit higher so he can get on the ball and dictate the game from there.
"If they get that, a new striker and another winger they can compete for the next two, three, four years now – that’s how good I think they can be," per Football365.
Arteta signs players from Chelsea
Legit.ng earlier reported that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opened up on why the club keeps signing players from rivals Chelsea after making his sixth signing from the club.
The Gunners have completed the signings of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and winger Noni Madueke for a combined £57 million this summer transfer window.
Source: Legit.ng
