‘Not quite good enough’: TalkSPORT man says Arsenal need more squad depth to win title

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Arsenal went back to the top of the table with a win over Nottingham Forest, but Alex Crook still feels Mikel Arteta needs more squad depth.

The Gunners romped home against Forest in the end. Five goals, a clean sheet, and big performances from key players once again getting them over the line.

Arsenal have spent big money in recent windows. This summer saw the likes of Zinchenko, Jesus, and Vieira all arrive for big sums. However, despite those additions, Crook believes Arsenal need even more and questioned the quality of back up available.

“My issue with Arsenal when it comes to challenging for the title is not just how good City are and how good Erling Haaland is, it’s the lack of squad depth. I think we saw that in the Europa League against PSV, they were poor,” Crook said on TalkSPORT last night.

“Gabriel Jesus when he doesn’t play, Eddie Nketiah comes in, no goals in 12. If you rest Partey or Xhaka, Lokonga comes in, not quite good enough for me. Even at left-back, they’ve missed Zinchenko. Tierney, not quite the force he was from last season. I think if they are still there, the only way they can really challenge is if the owners go out again and back Mikel Arteta with big money.”

TBR’s View: Arsenal could do with adding more squad depth

Squad depth is key for any club challenging for honours and Arsenal are no different.

The summer additions were brilliant and have taken them to another level. But Crook makes a good point here in that the replacements for key players don’t seem up to scratch.

Ultimately, Arsenal’s board face a huge call in January. Do they go again? Or do they trust Arteta can get the job done with what he has and just accept City will likely win it anyway?