Kevin Campbell
Campbell had a successful seven-year career at Arsenal.

Former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell insists the Gunners are genuine contenders for the Premier League title but must sufficiently strengthen in the January transfer window in order to sustain their challenge.

Victory at Swansea City puts Arsenal two points clear at the top after six games, their ninth successive win in all competitions since the opening day loss to Aston Villa.

Manager Arsene Wenger signed four players during the summer, the most high profile of which was Mesut Ozil who joined for a club-record fee of £42m on deadline day, and Campbell says additional signings in January are required to prolong Arsenal's championship challenge.

"They can challenge but the key part for Arsenal is what they do in January, in the transfer window," Campbell, who scored 46 goals in 166 appearances for Arsenal, told talkSPORT.

"I think they could be there or thereabouts at Christmas and, if they could strengthen again, then you have to take them seriously."

While the addition of Ozil has improved the depth of Arsenal's creative ranks, the club are short of centre forwards with Olivier Giroud and Nicklas Bendtner the only recognised senior strikers at the club.

Gonzalo Higuain was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer but Arsenal were unable to finalise a deal as Napoli eventually signing the Argentine forward.

And Arsenal will go face-to-face with Higuain this week in the Champions League when Napoli travel to north London.

"We were working on two or three targets and Higuain was one of them," confirmed Wenger.

"It didn't come off in the end, but that doesn't take anything away from his quality. Napoli took advantage of that at the right moment.

"As we know, in the end Real Madrid sold two great players, one of them went to Napoli, one went to Arsenal so it's 1-1 on that front."