Keown tells Arteta to replace two Arsenal stars after Champions League loss to PSG | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has urged Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta to replace two players at the Emirates Stadium over the summer.

The Gunners lost 4-3 on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday evening after an Ousmane Dembele penalty cancelled out Kai Havertz’s opener for Arsenal in normal time.

Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed their spot-kicks as Arsenal were forced to wait at least another year to attempt to win their first Champions League title.

Arsenal will have to brush themselves down quickly for their Premier League title parade through the streets of north London on Sunday.

The Gunners hierarchy are expected to back Arteta once again in the summer transfer market after spending over £250m last year.

Arsenal have depth in most areas but Keown has picked out two key positions they should improve heading into next season.

Havertz, who has struggled with availability because of injury this season, started and scored in the place of Viktor Gyokeres, who was left on the bench against PSG.

And when asked which areas of the squad Arsenal should look to strengthen, Keown told TNT Sports: “They may look again at the striker.

“Kai Havertz played 90 minutes tonight but it’s only the second full game he’s finished in 18 months.

“With Viktor Gyokeres, it was a difficult night for him, so that could be an area Arsenal look at. Maybe left-wing as well. Mikel Arteta will strengthen, there’s no doubt about that.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard chipped in: “I think they have to. This was Arsenal’s 63rd game of the season.

“You need more than one top striker, you might even need more than two. You need to keep refreshing, you fix the roof when the sun’s shining.

“Arsenal are in a magnificent place, a magnificent place. But the level and the amount of games means you have to keep adding to it and moving players on who have hit their ceiling or look like they’re in decline.

“But they’re not far away from being a dominant team, I just think they need a few more game-changers at the top of the pitch.”

Rice: We wouldn’t have won PL title without Eze, Gabriel

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, who scored his spot-kick, felt a lot of sympathy for Eze and Gabriel after they missed their attempts in the penalty shoot-out.

Rice said on TNT Sports: “To miss a penalty in a Champions League final, obviously it’s not nice. But we love them and we’re with them.

“It happens in football. They’re not going to be the last players to miss penalties in finals. Everyone has missed a penalty and without those two this season we wouldn’t have won the Premier League, that’s for sure.

“Gabriel, I’ve run out of words for him as a person and as a player. Eze has scored some crucial goals for us this season.

“It happens. It’s football and it’s cruel. We take the positives and keep going.”