Ray Parlour has sent Arsenal a list of three Premier League forwards that the Gunners should be looking to sign in the summer transfer window.
The Highbury legend has picked out Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton, Brentford's Ivan Toney and struggling Manchester United star Marcus Rashford to take Mikel Arteta's team to the next level, as Arsenal could be without a recognised striker come June due to both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah's contracts expiring.
After missing out on Dusan Vlahovic in January while letting go of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Parlour is one of many urging the Gunners to bolster their attack after the season ends. "Arsenal's priority this summer is to sign at least one or two strikers. That is an absolute must," the former midfielder, who spent 15 years of his decorated career with the north London club, told The Design Museum.
"I'd love to see Arsenal take a gamble on Ivan Toney. I think he's had a good young striker who has enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Premier League with Brentford. "I'd expect him to only get better as he moves towards his peak years and he's also a nailed-on penalty taker which we don’t have now that Aubameyang has left the club.
"I'd also be interested in signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton because he would add a new dynamic to the forward players already at the club. I think he would hold the ball up well and interchange passes with runners from midfield. He'd be a huge benefit to the likes of [Bukayo] Saka and [Emile] Smith-Rowe. Ivan Toney and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are realistic targets who would improve the club this summer and I'm excited to see what happens."
While Calvert-Lewin and Toney are more realistic targets and have previously been linked, Parlour also reckons his old club should have a pop at signing Rashford, who has been out of form and favour at Old Trafford for the past few weeks, resulting in a verbal spat with supporters after their loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday which ended their Champions League campaign.
"Marcus Rashford is going through a bit of a bad spell but he's a top player," the 49-year-old declared on TalkSPORT. "I am sure lots of clubs will be enquiring about Marcus Rashford if he was available in the summer. Certainly Arsenal, I would love him to come to Arsenal. That's the position Arsenal need to look at this summer, it's vital for the club."
Join the debate! Would any of Parlour's picks be good signings for Arsenal? Comment your verdict below.
"If Rashford's available – and I don't think he would be because United would be mad to sell him – but if he is available then Arsenal would definitely be interested." Despite Parlour's pessimism, Red Devils interim manager Ralf Rangnick recently opened the door for Rashford to leave, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that his phone "hasn't stopped ringing" with interest from elsewhere.
Rangnick has regularly dropped the 24-year-old from United's starting XI, telling a recent news conference: "I don't think that he's not had enough game time. He's had 13-14 games since I've been here now, he played more games from the start than he didn't play from the start.
"I don't think this is an issue and he never said anything about that since we spoke yesterday [last Thursday]. But the window is closed now. Even suppose he and his agents or his family at one stage of the summer think about maybe going to another club, well then he can do that but in the summer. Now the window is closed."
