Arsenal Warned They’ve Got Weaker Without Superstar Left Winger

Arsenal warned they’ve “actually got weaker” as Pennant calls for ‘superstar’ left winger

Arsenal spent big to finally fix their No.9 problem. A year on, the debate has simply moved a few yards to the left.

Viktor Gyokeres arrived 12 months ago as the headline striker signing, the Sweden international handed the job of ending Arsenal’s long-running search for a ruthless centre-forward. Twenty-one goals in his debut season suggested he had done plenty right.

Yet he is on the bench.

Mikel Arteta has opened the 2026-27 campaign with Kai Havertz leading the line, the German preferred through the middle while Gyokeres is reduced to cameos. It is a tactical call that has sharpened the focus on the rest of the attack – and on what Arsenal have lost.

Trossard and Martinelli gone – and no like-for-like

Leandro Trossard, the man for the big moment last season, has gone. The Belgian, whose knack for decisive contributions helped tilt the title race, is now at Besiktas. Gabriel Martinelli, a fixture at the club for seven years and a constant threat even as his numbers dipped, has departed for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

Those are not fringe losses. They are players who decided tight games.

Jermaine Pennant, speaking to GOAL in association with NetBet Casino, did not sugarcoat it.

“They have to at some point because teams are not going to sit dormant,” he said when asked if Arsenal must move for a “superstar” left winger. “Teams around them are not going to not strengthen in those areas. Come January, I'm sure the likes of Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool and Man City are going to go in the market again and strengthen again. So they have to.

“And this is weird saying, but I think they've actually got weaker. I think Arsenal are weaker, especially going forward anyway, than they were last season. Because they've lost some really clutch individuals.”

Pennant pointed straight at Trossard’s influence.

“I think without Trossard they probably wouldn't have won the league. The West Ham goal, you could go on with the important goals he scored – Aston Villa. Then they've lost Martinelli, yeah, his number's dwindled but again it's still a good impact player you can bring off the bench. They've lost him.”

Arsenal chased elite wide options – and walked away

Arsenal have not ignored the issue. Far from it.

They flirted with the idea of prising Vini Jr away from Real Madrid while the Brazilian delayed signing a new deal at Santiago Bernabeu. That door closed when he chose to remain a ‘Galactico’.

Attention then turned to Paris. Champions League winner Bradley Barcola became available as Paris Saint-Germain opened the exit door. Arsenal asked the question. The answer was brutal: £123 million ($166m). At that price, Arteta and the recruitment team stepped back. Liverpool stepped in.

So the left flank, where Christos Tzolis now operates, remains the obvious pressure point in an otherwise stacked squad. Arsenal have loosened the purse strings in recent windows, so Arteta is not expected to be short of funds. But the big swing for a marquee winger has not yet landed.

Tzolis carries the load – and the risk

Right now, the responsibility on that side falls heavily on Tzolis. Pennant sees a problem if anything happens to him.

“And they've not really replaced that apart from Tzolis. So if he gets injured or whatnot, their left side's kind of doomed. You’ve got to put [Eberechi] Eze out there, he's not a winger, he's a midfielder.”

It is a blunt assessment, but it cuts to the depth question. Arsenal have options, just not natural, top-level left wingers in abundance. Eberechi Eze can fill in from the flank, but his instincts are central. Others can shuffle across. None replicate the blend of directness, goals and chaos that Trossard and Martinelli brought.

Pennant accepts Arsenal have tightened up elsewhere.

“Yes, they’ve strengthened at the back. So I think going forward they definitely need to strengthen. Because they've probably fallen out of favour with Gyokeres and they've reverted back to [Kai] Havertz, who was never really their 15, 20-goal-a-season guy.”

Form says one thing, squad balance another

The numbers on the board so far back Arteta. Arsenal have been flawless through three Premier League fixtures and opened their Champions League campaign with a win over Napoli. Bukayo Saka already has two goals. Club captain Martin Odegaard has rediscovered his spark as the conductor in behind. The system is humming.

On paper, the attack still looks dangerous: Saka on the right, Odegaard in the pocket, Havertz up top, Tzolis on the left, with Gyokeres as a powerful option from the bench. Arteta can reasonably argue he has enough firepower to mount more trophy challenges.

Yet the sense lingers that one side of the pitch is carrying more risk than the other. Arsenal’s right flank is settled and elite. The middle is competitive. The left feels like a work in progress.

Rivals will not wait. Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are expected to dip back into the market when January arrives. If Arsenal want to stay ahead of that curve, the next big statement may have to come from the wing.

Whether the club push for that “superstar” left winger Pennant demands could define how long this version of Arsenal stays at the very top.