Theo Walcott has named three players he would welcome at Arsenal this summer as his former club desperately attempt to get to the level needed to finally win the Premier League.
Barring a miracle, the Gunners will once again miss out on the Premier League trophy this season, with Liverpool storming 13 points clear at the top of the table.
Finishing as runners-up would be Arsenal’s third successive second-place finish and would really test the resolve of both the club and Mikel Arteta, who have been aiming to guide Arsenal to a first Premier League title since 2004.
It is generally accepted that Arsenal need to sign a new striker this summer after failing to bolster Arteta’s attacking options either in January or last summer.
Walcott’s dream signing would be Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, who is being linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool as well as Arsenal.
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Ex-England winger Walcott has also backed the Gunners to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and Callum Hudson-Odoi from Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea sold Hudson-Odoi for just £5m in 2023 but have watched the 24-year-old – who was once the subject of a £50m offer from Bayern Munich – thrive at the City Ground, helping Forest challenge for the Champions League places.
Asked to name three players he would like Arsenal to sign this summer, Walcott told DR Sports: ‘I don’t actually think Arsenal need three new players, I’d say they only need one.
‘[Alexander] Isak is the one everyone wants. But if you’re going to hold a gun to my head and say two more, I’d probably say someone like Mbeumo at Brentford for a bit of cover for Saka. Having a bit of pressure on your position is always good too.
‘I would maybe test the waters with another forward on the left-wing because it’s all about scoring goals for Arsenal. They don’t really concede goals these days.
‘I know it’s really out of the box but I would have looked at someone like [Callum] Hudson-Odoi, he plays off the left. You probably didn’t expect me to say that but you caught me off guard.’
Arsenal’s title hopes have all but evaporated over the past week, with Arteta’s side suffering a shock defeat to West Ham before dropping more points at Nottingham Forest.
In the same period Liverpool comfortably beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and defeated Newcastle United to take a commanding lead at the top of the table.
Discussing Arsenal’s prospects for the rest of the season, ex-Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport: ‘My main concern is what would happen if Arteta’s men are knocked out of the Champions League in the coming weeks as that would then mean they finish the season just going through the motions.
‘That is against what Arteta stands for and it will be a huge sense of disappointment for all involved if it all fizzes out. That feeling leads to the question of what next?
‘Because this season has been another opportunity missed in the sense that people – including me – expected Arsenal to be right in the mix.
‘Having nothing to play for in the final two or three months of the season would be more of a cause of concern and lead to questions about the future rather than just the present.’
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