Arsenal's Insipid Performance at Sunderland Shows the Need for a New Striker

Arsenal have arguably needed a top-class centre-forward for years. However, their blunt performance in the 0-0 draw at Sunderland confirmed the necessity of adding a new striker this summer. The Gunners can no longer afford to get by without an elite goalscorer.

It’s a search that has gone on for some time. When Robin van Persie joined Manchester United in August 2012, Arsene Wenger opted to replace him with the pair of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud.

Podolski was a disaster at centre-forward, and he ended up playing most of his football on the wing before eventually being sold off as surplus to requirements.

Giroud has fared significantly better, largely hanging on to his status as Wenger’s first-choice striker. However, his disappointing performance in Sunday’s game suggests that spell may soon be coming to a close.

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There have been attempts to replace him in recent campaigns. Wenger has tried the likes of Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck as alternatives, but neither has managed to nail down the spot as their own.

The solution is likely to have to come from outside the club. In the buildup to the Sunderland match, Daily Mail columnist Jamie Carragher cited Arsenal’s failure to sign Luis Suarez as the “biggest mistake” of Wenger’s reign.

The former Liverpool defender said: "Had Arsenal pushed the boundaries for Suarez, perhaps with an offer of £50m, I believe they would have won the Barclays Premier League in two of the last three seasons. That’s the thing about Suarez: whichever team he plays for, he drags them to a higher level."

Wenger badly needs someone of Suarez’s calibre to help drag the Gunners towards the top of the table. Assuming the manager remains in his job beyond the end of the season, he must prepare to spend big to recruit the striker Arsenal need.

It was a bit surprising to see Giroud given the nod at the Stadium of Light. Welbeck has largely been preferred of late, and there was little about the Frenchman’s performance against West Bromwich Albion in midweek to suggest he deserved to reclaim a regular place.

Giroud has now gone 14 Premier League games without a goal and has failed to score in 19 out of his last 20 Arsenal appearances in all competitions.

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Not that Giroud was all that was wrong with Arsenal’s performance against Sunderland. The likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez also disappointed.

Ozil in particular looked out of sorts, with his mood flitting frequently between disinterest and frustration. At one point he could audibly be heard screaming in anger as a team-mate’s pass failed to reach him. Perhaps the German, like many of the fans, has already consigned this season to history in his head.

One bright spot was Petr Cech, who made a couple of important saves to ensure this match did not become any more embarrassing for Arsenal. Defeat would have incensed an already agitated fanbase.

Cech has shown the value of adding a proven world-class player to the starting XI. If Arsenal are serious about challenging for the league next year, Wenger must seek to emulate that success with the centre-forward position.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.