Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has raised concerns about Arsenal’s Premier League title credentials, insisting the Gunners lack a genuine superstar capable of making the decisive difference at the highest level.
Softfootball gathered, Speaking in a clip posted by Sky Sports Football on Facebook, Carrick explained that while criticism of Mikel Arteta exists, the real issue lies deeper in the squad’s attacking quality.
“There is a lot of criticism around Arteta. We have said if he is to win the league, he will win it as Mourinho, not Pep. As long as he wins, and we believe he could win, there is no big deal around how Arteta goes around this.”
However, Carrick believes Arsenal’s biggest weakness is the absence of a world-class match-winner in attack.
“What I would say is Arsenal, and I think it will affect them in winning this season, they don’t have a genuine superstar at the top end of the pitch.”
He compared Arsenal’s frontline to title-winning teams of the past, pointing to iconic players who carried their sides in crucial moments.
“They don’t have someone to do what Salah did for Liverpool, or what Haaland did for Man City, or what Hazard did for Chelsea.”
Carrick also highlighted a worrying statistic, noting that despite Arsenal being top of the league, their attackers are missing from discussions around individual excellence.
When have you seen a team on top of the table by six or seven points, but when you pick the team of the season so far, you don’t find one of their players in the front four? That is not normal.
According to Carrick, elite teams almost always have at least one attacking player dominating individual accolades.
The best teams in the league will always have one or maybe two players in the team of the season, and Arsenal don’t have that right now.
Arsenal’s recent 3–2 loss to Manchester United appears to support Carrick’s assessment, with no standout moment of individual brilliance from the Gunners’ attack in a game that demanded it most.
As the title race intensifies, questions remain whether Arsenal can compensate for the lack of a true superstar—or whether this shortcoming will ultimately cost them the Premier League crown.
