I am very happy with the players we have – Arsenal unlikely to make striker move

Mikel Arteta has claimed signing a new striker this month will not be enough to deliver Arsenal the Premier League title – and believes his side’s form in front of goal is proof that he does not need to splash the cash.

Arsenal have the chance to reduce Liverpool’s advantage at the top to just three points when they face Brighton on Saturday, 24 hours prior to Arne Slot’s men taking on Manchester United at Anfield.

The Gunners put three goals past Brentford in their first game of the new year to take their tally for the campaign to 38, with only rivals’ Tottenham (41) and Liverpool (45) having scored more so far this season.

Gabriel Jesus’ strike against the Bees was his sixth from his previous four appearances, and speaking ahead of his side’s visit to the Amex Stadium, Arteta was quizzed on whether he plans to bring in a new striker during the transfer window.

“Signing somebody is not enough, that is for sure,” he said. “That signing has to score then how many goals? A lot of things have to happen. Sign, and then score 20 goals from here until the end (of the season). And then you have a better chance? Maybe, yes, I don’t know.

“But I am very happy with the players we have and when you look at the amount of goals that we have scored, too, it is more than enough to win the Premier League.

“But the reality is somebody is doing more. And that is life, so we have to do better. If something extraordinary is on the market that we can afford, and we think they will have a real impact on the team, we have to be open for that possibility always. But at the moment, the focus is on what we have.”

Arteta revealed after Arsenal’s win against Brentford that a number of players were struck down by a virus, with Kai Havertz sent home to isolate. However, Arteta said the German is likely to return for the trip to the south coast.

He also hopes Raheem Sterling – currently sidelined with a knee injury – might be available within the fortnight, and said Ben White could return from a minor knee operation before the end of the month.

Chelsea’s failure to win any of their last three fixtures has seen Arsenal emerge as the main threat to preventing Liverpool from winning the title.

Arsenal were level on points with Liverpool for the 2024 calendar year, having played one match fewer. The Gunners won 34 of their 50 matches last year – their best winning percentage since 1932 – and scored 114 times.

“We have to show the same level of consistency,” added Arteta. “In the last year, we have been the best in the league and broken various records but we have not won a major trophy so something is missing.

“That can be very tiny, small details. At the end we were so close and we just need to flick that coin to the other side to make it happen, but that will only happen if we do what we have to do and what we can control. The rest is out of our hands.”

If Arsenal win against Brighton on Saturday, they will be two points better off than at this stage last season, and Arteta, who is set to be without star man Bukayo Saka until March at the earliest, continued: “(We are performing) to a higher level, yes, and we have had a lot of very difficult circumstances with the challenges that we have had. That is why we have made a big improvement in that sense.”