Arsenal Transfer News: Thierry Henry Demands Spree, Alexandre Lacazette Rumours

Legendary Arsenal striker Thierry Henry doesn't believe Arsene Wenger will win the Premier League with Olivier Giroud up front.

Henry, now working as a Sky Sports pundit, spoke after watching the Gunners draw 0-0 with soon-to-be-crowned champions Chelsea. Jose Mourinho's men played for a draw at the Emirates Stadium and came away with exactly that, stopping second-place Arsenal from closing the gap to seven points at the top.

Arsenal's display was toothless, despite some decent passing through midfield, leaving Henry suggesting big money needs to be spent in the summer. His comments were reported by Anthony Hay of the MailOnline:

"

I think they need to buy four players—they need that spine. They need a goalkeeper, they still need a centre back, they still need a holding midfielder and, I'm afraid, they need a top, top quality striker to win this league again.

You had the best example with Chelsea here today. They were struggling last season to win the league. They went on to buy [Thibaut] Cortouis, [Nemanja] Matic, Cesc [Fabregas] and [Diego] Costa. For me, that speaks volumes and you saw it today—a team didn't and a team did, and they are about to win the league again.

"

On Giroud, Henry added: "I think Giroud is doing extremely well. But can you win the league with him? I wouldn't think so. He does a job, and he does it ever so well, but you can't win the league."

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Giroud has recently enjoyed an excellent run of form, scoring 12 in 16 matches across all competitions, per WhoScored.com. He has netted 14 Premier League strikes in 22 appearances throughout the campaign, which has been blighted by injury, but he remains incapable of reaching the 20-mark.

Last year Giroud bagged 16, a massive 15 behind top scorer Luis Suarez. He struck 11 in 2012-13, 15 behind Robin van Persie, who led Manchester United to the title. Considering RvP joined the Red Devils from Arsenal, Henry's point holds substance.

Wenger's side need a player who can regularly net 20 Premier League goals a season. Someone in the ilk of Diego Costa or Sergio Aguero, the type of player whose quality is never questioned when they are fit.

Kaz Photography/Getty Images

The manager is reportedly ready to go "all in" for Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette, per Calcio Mercato (h/t Lewis Rudd of Metro), after the striker racked up his 26th strike of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday. Rudd notes Lacazette would partner Giroud in attack.

Either way, Henry's comments suggest Wenger has plenty of work to do, despite Arsenal putting together a 10-match unbeaten run, per Soccerway. Former Arsenal midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson doesn't believe fans should get excited by the end-of-season form, reported by the Daily Star:

"

Arsenal win the last ten games of the season and everyone thinks it's all going to be great next season, but it just seems to be happening every year. I've just seen this too many times. They still need two players and they're needed two players for seven years on the trot and it still hasn't happened.

It really frustrates me that this happens all the time. They're in the top four again, but Arsenal are a big football club and fans, who pay massive prices to watch the team play, need more than the top four.

"

B/R UK's James McNicholas recently discussed how a genuine title challenge can be made a reality for the north London club:

Wenger once again has the basis of an excellent squad in place but needs experienced winners to add a little steel to Arsenal's chances. Alexis Sanchez's impact has shown exactly what big money can land and should be used as a marker for Arsenal's summer business.

If three top-quality players arrived alongside him at the start of the season, the chasm to Chelsea may have been reduced. It's not exactly a case of so-close-but-so-far for Wenger, but if he's to win the Premier League again, he needs to hurry up and address issues many have been noting for years.