Tuesday 5 May 2015 13:14, UK
Arsenal need to improve the spine of their team with three or four new signings if they are to challenge for the Premier League title next season, according to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.
The Gunners are on course to secure their highest place Premier League finish for a decade after a 3-1 victory against Hull at the KC Stadium but still trail newly crowned champions Chelsea by 13 points.
And Neville, speaking on Monday Night Football, believes there is plenty of hard work to be done at the Emirates Stadium this summer to take Arsene Wenger’s side to the next level.
“They’ve got to make that extra jump,” the former Manchester United defender said.
“Hypothetically, if you put (Diego) Costa, (Nemanja) Matic and (John) Terry in that team you probably win the title. So how do you find a Costa, Matic and Terry? Those players are not readily available. Everyone wants them.
“Everyone wants a central midfield player.
“Everyone wants a brilliant striker who can play up front on his own that’s quick, that’s strong and aggressive.
“Everybody wants a centre-back that can lead, dominate and command and get you out of every single situation, while organising his team-mates around him. We should maybe mention (David) Ospina as well. Arsenal need a top goalkeeper like Chelsea have got.”
Arsenal, who still have the chance to retain the FA Cup later this month, have been linked with high-profile moves for Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling.
And Neville thinks Wenger need to add some steel to his squad if they are to have any chance of overhauling Chelsea next season.
“They need those three or four players to hold that spine together because what they’ve got around it, with Ramsey, Ozil, Welbeck and Sanchez, they’re fantastic,” Neville added.
“But they need that spine to be strong right the way through a season and I think at the moment it’s whether Arsene Wenger can get his hands on those two or three players.
“They tried to sign Suarez two years ago. They nearly got him but didn’t get him. Those are the type of players are the ones they need to get hold of to make that next jump.
"We know what Arsenal can do. We know they can do this. It’s that next bit and whether they can that with a Cazorla and Coquelin in central midfield.
“I think they need something different as well.”
After victory at the KC Stadium, Wenger refused to be drawn in detail on his summer transfer plans but revealed is in the market for quality over quantity.
“We have a big squad and we have to see how we finish,” he said. “We want to focus now on finishing the season well and then we’ll see what we can do but the basis is there.
“We do not need to buy a number of players. If we find top world class players then we’ll look at it but we have a very strong squad already in number. Now the basic is to stay together and start well next season.”
