Former Arsenal and Man Utd star tells Gunners to avoid signing this player in title claim

Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silverstre claims his former club are better equipped to win the league title than last season but claims signing a third striker could give Mikel Arteta the luxury to thrive at the top level. The French defender, who arrived in England in 1999, enjoyed a nine year-stint at Manchester United before moving to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2008 - which at the time made him the first player to move between the two clubs since 1987.

Silvestre made a total of 26 appearances during his two-year stay at Arsenal before leaving North London on a free transfer. However, he still remains an avid follower of the Premier League from afar after his retirement in 2014.

The five-time Premier League winner is the latest to emphasise Arsenal’s need for a striker, along with former stars Roy Keane and Ian Wright. However, he has advised the club to avoid Ivan Toney in the winter and instead move for Ollie Watkins.

Speaking to GGRecon, Silverstre said: "Right now you have Eddie Nketiah at the club alongside Gabriel Jesus, but signing a third striker could present them with a luxury that could be useful at this level. Especially when you consider the amount of games that Arsenal could potentially play this season. The team always needs healthy competition and it needs quality, so if Arsenal were to sign another striker in the near future, then it would be [Ollie] Watkins over [Ivan] Toney if the decision was up to me.”

Watkins has registered four goals and four assists in his opening eight Premier League matches, while he has already managed three strikes in the Europa Conference League. The forward also added to his England goal tally by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 friendly win over Australia. The attacker, who scored 15 league goals last season has previously stated that he was an Arsenal fans as a kid and claimed his idol was Thierry Henry.

Watkins said while at Brentford: “That’s the dream, to play for Arsenal one day. But, you know, it’s a long shot. I’m an Arsenal fan so Thierry Henry was my [idol] he’s unbelievable to watch. He was the idol growing up really.”

Toney himself has also emphasised his admiration for Arsenal and the forward told Diary of a Ceo host Steven Barlett: “The next club I go to, if I was to move, would be the right club,“ he said. “I’ve been a Liverpool fan my whole life… but from young, I’ve liked Arsenal."