Arsenal’s goal drought hits historic low as season ends in frustration. Arsenal ended their 2024–25 campaign with a 2–1 win against Southampton, finishing second in the Premier League for the third consecutive season. Martin Ødegaard sealed the victory with a late strike after Ross Stewart had cancelled out Kieran Tierney’s opener.
While fans enjoyed the thrilling final-day win, the season as a whole will be viewed as a missed opportunity. Arsenal concluded the campaign on 74 points, scoring 69 goals and conceding just 34, the best defensive record in the league.
Yet their goal tally remains a concern. In contrast to last season’s 91 goals, this year’s return was considerably lower. Ultimately, it was their lack of attacking firepower that cost them a genuine title challenge. Defensively, the numbers are solid, but up front, Arsenal simply fell short.
No Arsenal player hit double figures in the league
One stat perfectly captures the issue. For the first time in 99 seasons, no Arsenal player reached double figures in the Premier League.
Kai Havertz finished as top scorer with nine goals, while Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka managed eight and six respectively. Injuries undoubtedly played a role. Havertz was on nine goals when a hamstring injury in February ruled him out for three months. He returned for only two substitute appearances at the end of the season. Saka also missed a significant stretch with injury.
Still, it is a deeply worrying statistic. How can a team hope to win the Premier League without at least one player scoring ten goals or more?
A new striker must be the priority
The lack of an out-and-out striker has become Arsenal’s most obvious weakness. None of the current forward options managed to deliver consistently, and that absence of a clinical edge was felt throughout the campaign.
Arsenal’s supporters have shown remarkable patience, but the time for a serious signing up front has arrived. The Gunners have already been linked with Benjamin Šeško and Viktor Gyökeres, two strikers capable of providing the goals Arsenal desperately need.
If the club wants to bridge the gap to the title, securing a top-class centre-forward could be the difference between frustration and glory.
What are your thoughts Gooners?
BENJAMIN KENNETH
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It would need a change in style and tactics. We don’t play the way to suit a main striker. A striker this season would not have got many more, our delivery, direction and build up is not geared for it. We would need better passers (crossers) of the ball as well. We have rigid tactical build ups and don’t look for balls to a striker.
We don’t need just a striker, we need another winger who scores as well. A team like Liverpool has proven many times that even when a centre forward is misfiring, the wide forwards can carry the goal scoring burden.
One thing that is rarely talked about is that we don’t seem to win many penalties. We need a good dribbler in this team whether at centre forward or on the wing. Not only does this win you penalties but also unlocks stubborn defenses.
@Reggie
I agree with you on this occasion.
The system and tactics this season were the problem. No striker would have made a difference because we played a very rigid, ponderous, very mechanical and functional style.
Very slow, predictable and too cautious.
👍
I disagree that a striker will struggle to score goals in this team. If Merino, a midfielder by trade,with no striker experience ,could come in and score enough goals during his spell as a makeshift striker think of what a natural striker with the right profile will do
Problem of our own making. Did not improve the attack last summer. Mikel has not rotated players like Saka for years at this point and unfortunately a big injury to Bukayo came as absolutely no surprise. So no, not bad luck, bad planning.
I think we were just too slow, ponderous and overly cautious this season..
We were very predictable and one dimensional that most teams felt comfortable against us. They would just sit back and watch us play slow square (Sideways and backwards passes) with absolutely no penetration / threat in behind.
So if this team was so bad what does it say about those teams that were behind Arsenal in the PL? How is it that such a poor team managed to reach the SF of the CL?
@David
When comparing oneself to another you have to aim higher and not lower.
We have to be honest with ourselves and not worry about those teams that finished behind us.
If you want to improve on your Test Scores you don’t focus on those that got worse scores than you, you focus on those that did better than you and try to emulate them.
Let’s be honest, were very poor this season compared the standards we set in that previous two campaigns.
And admitting ones weaknesses is the road to rectifying those weaknesses. Acknowledging where you went wrong is not a weakness, it’s a massive Strength.
We can’t be engaging in “Whataboutism”. We have to accept that we were poor and that should give us the honesty to do better next time.
Just because other teams were worse than us shouldn’t be something to hold on to. Just because we finished higher than Ipswich, Southampton, Leicester etc doesn’t matter, what matters is acknowledging what went wrong for us and trying to fix it.
Don’t be like the Usual Suspets (Anti Arteta Grudgists). They can’t stand any positive attitude towards Arteta.
But don’t stand on the other end where you don’t want to acknowledge the flaws and weaknesses in Arteta.
Let’s have mature adult / constructive conversations. Don’t let the Anti Arteta Agendarists influence your objectivity where you think that you always have to be on the defensive all the time. You can have a mature conversation with some of us who don’t happen to be Anti Arteta parrots. 👍🙏
😂😂
Don’t you talk some waffle ,the pair of ya .
SO!! Anyone who thinks Arteta is not doing the job to the standard expected is an Anti Arteta Appologist? Well defending myself, I don’t think he is capable of doing what is required, I have said it from day one and he hasn’t yet proved me wrong. Why is that given so posh a name. When he, if he proves me wrong, I will change my opinion. Until then I believe he is not capable.
Reggie,
It seems that this particular manager doesn’t need to be accountable for anything. And anyone who dares to question him, will be targeted no matter if their questions are valid or not. 🤷♂️
Derek, I think it’s the ones who take pleasure in Arsenal’s, and by default Arteta’s failings, are those that are being “targeted”.
Jax
I’m loathe to have an opinion for fear of subscribing to a fictional herd mentality
However, anti Arteta apologist is a weird expression in my view. Those who don’t think Arteta is up to scratch write that those who are largely supportive are therefore Arteta apologists – because they believe they are right that Arteta’s not up to it. Anyone who largely thinks Arteta’s pretty good is apologising for all the perceived weaknesses the others believe he has.
I don’t think I’ve heard anyone who on the whole supports Arteta’s record as calling anyone who doesn’t, an anti Arteta apologist. It’s a nonsensical argument. What could they conceivably be apologising for? For being somehow sorry that they don’t rate him? If they don’t, then they don’t- it’s as simple as that
Anti Arteta apologist does sound a bit contradictory doesn’t it Sue. As though they’re actually supportive of Arteta, but we know that they’re not, don’t we!
On the other hand, “Arteta apologist”, being a derisive term thought up by some creeps on Just Arsenal, does the “anti” make it acceptable ?🤣
Jax,
You’ve lost me – almost 🤣🤣
Sorry ’bout that Sue. 😏
Any manager that can consistently challenge for the PL should not be dismissed in the way certain people are doing.
Evidently, he can be questioned. However, making false comparisons or wild, inaccurate and bombastic claims does not equate to valid questioning.
Arsenal have undergone quite significant positive changes over the last few years and anyone who can’t understand this is demonstrating clear lack of nuance and questionable judgement.
Quite within your rights Reggie to stand up for what you believe in and you have made it clear how you do feel about it.
It’s funny that you’re so aerated that you felt the need to get it out there, but has it ever crossed yours or others minds with similar views on Arteta, that some of us might find it just plain repetitive and tiresome to be called Arteta apologists on a fairly regular basis?
That’s cheap 😕😔