“He’s a goal threat” - Graeme Souness claims Arsenal have a player as good as Kai Havertz but he rarely gets picked for games by Arteta

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has claimed that Arsenal wasted their money by purchasing Kai Havertz when they already had Emile Smith Rowe in their ranks. He feels that the Gunners could have instead used the money to address other areas of need at their club.

Praising the qualities of Rowe, Souness said on talkSPORT’s ‘Simon and Souness' (via Tbrfootball):

“Smith Rowe. I like him. As a midfield player, running into the box, clever passes. Everything seems to be done when he’s sprinting, which I like. He’s a goal threat. And then Arteta spends £60 million on Havertz."

He continued:

"So the point I wanted to make is, that £60 million would be a fair criticism I think. When building a football team, you want to strengthen the weakest part of the team."

Souness feels Arsenal could have instead used the money to buy a striker. He said:

“I think it was clear for most people that Arsenal needed another striker with Jesus, so you go and take Kai Havertz from Chelsea for big money when really you have a homegrown player who is every bit as good as him, so that £60 million should have been directed towards a striker. And that might cost him.”

Arsenal are reportedly trying to buy Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the January market. However, they are allegedly unable to find a way around the Financial Fair Play rule to spend more after having spent big money last summer.

Arsenal are in poor form of late

The Gunners were at the top of the Premier League table in Christmas but currently find themselves in fourth spot, less than a month later. They are currently on a three-match losing streak and have won just one game in their last seven encounters.

Arsenal were recently kicked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Liverpool after losing 2-0 at the Emirates. Their next game is against Crystal Palace on January 20 in the Premier League