Arsenal brutally told they 'don't have enough special players' as Jamie Carragher advises Gunners to replace Viktor Gyokeres

Despite Arsenal sitting at the top of the Premier League table, their failure to secure silverware at Wembley has raised questions about the ceiling of their current attacking trio. The Gunners slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City, with a brace from Nico O'Reilly ensuring Pep Guardiola walked away with yet another trophy while Arsenal's quadruple dreams evaporated.

Carragher, speaking on The Overlap, expressed his concern regarding the lack of a true match-winner in the big moments. "I don’t think it will affect the league because Arsenal have got such a big gap," the former defender noted. "But my thing with Arsenal now – and you could probably say this with every team in the Premier League – is there’s not enough special players."

A significant portion of the criticism has been aimed at Swedish international Gyokeres. While the striker has been a reliable source of goals since his £64m ($85m) move from Sporting last summer, Carragher remains unconvinced that he provides the elite quality needed to conquer Europe.

"You still need to buy a centre forward," he insisted, despite the 27-year-old being the only Arsenal player to hit double figures this term. The Swede has managed 16 goals in 42 games, but his inability to influence the game when the service dried up at Wembley has intensified calls for a new 'star' profile. "There’s no star player and sometimes you need that player when you’re not playing well like they wasn’t in the cup final," Carragher added. "I don’t think Arsenal have enough special players in attack and that would worry me a bit for the Champions League."

The North London club are already being linked with high-profile moves to inject that missing elite quality. Reports suggest Arsenal are investigating a blockbuster deal for Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a move that would provide a major upgrade on the flanks. Targeting an established game-changer like the Georgian winger aligns perfectly with Carragher's observation that Arsenal's current attacking leaders have unexpectedly stagnated rather than making the final leap into the truly world-class bracket.

"I thought two years ago that [Bukayo] Saka and [Martin] Odegaard were going to be the real deal and be like [Mohamed] Salah and [Kevin] De Bruyne," he said. "They were nearly there. Arsenal are probably going to win the league but if they do I don’t think any of the attacking players will think they’ve had an amazing season. It’s just not clicked."

Beyond the wings, the hunt for a more clinical number nine continues. Arsenal have been linked with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, though Diego Simeone has been vocal about his desire to keep the Argentine in Spain. Alvarez himself has remained coy on his future, recently stating: "I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no, you never know. I’m very happy here. I’m thinking about the day to day."

With Carragher warning that a lack of world-class individual quality could haunt them in the Champions League, the pressure is on Arteta and Andrea Berta to deliver a statement signing.