Arsenal left themselves short in Premier League title race after transfer window, says Gary Neville

Gary Neville said Arsenal left themselves short in the Premier League title race after failing to sign anyone in the winter transfer window.

Liverpool are now 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League with 11 games to go after capitalising on Arsenal’s defeat at home to West Ham by winning 2-0 at Manchester City with a dominant display against the champions.

Arsenal were forced to play midfielder Mikel Merino up front against West Ham after losing first-choice strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to season-ending injuries, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also out.

Arsenal knew they would be without Saka and Jesus for the foreseeable with time left in the transfer window, but decided against signing a forward before Havertz and Martinelli were also sidelined and they appear to have paid the price.

Asked if losing that forward quartet is a fair defence for falling so far behind Liverpool, Neville told The Gary Neville Podcast: “It’s a defence, but then you’ve got to plan for it.

“I know they didn’t want to do business in the January transfer window, they thought there wasn’t value in the market, or they couldn’t get the player that would come in and impact them.

“But they have left themselves short, there’s no doubt about that, and they’ve fallen short.”

He added: “I know they’ve lost Saka and Jesus, and I know they’ve lost Havertz, which is a big problem for Arsenal, but I still think you’ve got to do that job against West Ham at home.”

Neville expects Arsenal to be particularly frustrated at falling short in the season when Manchester City dropped off after finishing runners-up to the champions for the last two years.

“When City weren’t going to be there, the team that had to be there was Arsenal,” said Neville.

“It’s not going to be them, it doesn’t look like, and that’s the big shock and surprise. That’ll be the one that’ll hit hardest in that Arsenal boardroom, and with Mikel Arteta and the players, because they’re desperate to win a title.

“Liverpool have drawn two in the last three, they’ve drawn four in the last eight, Arsenal have had a chance to get back closer, they could have gone within five points [against West Ham].”

Neville also accused Mikel Arteta’s side of becoming obsessed with set-pieces to the detriment of their fluidity in open play this season.

“For Arsenal, they’ve become quite rigid, they’ve become quite turgid at times to watch,” said Neville.

“I felt there was an obsession with set-pieces, which almost overtakes the whole game, exacerbated by the fact that there’s the presence of the set-piece coach on the touchline.

“I feel like the freedom’s gone a little bit from them.”

Analysis: Villa’s window highlights Arsenal shortcomings

Sky Sports’ Zinny Boswell:

Arsenal worked hard to sign a forward during the transfer window, but decided there was not a player available on the market that would have improved them.

Aston Villa’s winter signings, and their success in the short space of a few weeks, demonstrates that this was incorrect.

Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, loan signings from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, came with obvious risks after patchy form of late, but have made an immediate impact.

Depth was clearly an issue for Villa and they addressed it by signing two experienced players on temporary deals. It begs the question of why Arsenal did not pursue a similar approach.

Arsenal’s first priority should undoubtedly be a striker, but they are also short on forwards, as illustrated by Arteta bringing on two left-backs, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Myles Lewis-Skelly, when trailing West Ham on Saturday.

Can you imagine how much better Arsenal might have been if that had been Asensio coming off the bench?

There is a sense that every signing has to be the perfect one, perhaps that is more of a reality under the current Premier League’s spending rules, but that can be no excuse for Arsenal here. Adding bodies was crucial.

The lack of a permanent replacement for sporting director Edu Gaspar may have played a role. So too could the lack of goalscorers at the elite level.

Whatever the issue, Arsenal have left themselves short in the season City have fallen out of contention. And it has surely cost them the title.