Alan Shearer Insists January Splurge on French Striker will Spark Arsenal's Title Challenge

Former Newcastle striker and England legend Alan Shearer believes that Gunners will win the title if they sign someone like Karim Benzema in January.

The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for the French international in January and may make a move if Real Madrid put him on the market. Arsenal have already bought Mesut Ozil for a record fee of £42.5m from the Spanish giants and have earmarked the striker as their second big money signing this season, which will go a long way in taking them all the way over the finishing line.

The Gunners suffered their second defeat in the Premier League against Manchester United at Old Trafford where they were outdone by Robin van Persie's header from Wayne Rooney's corner. However, a lack of striking options on the bench for Arsene Wenger was the reason behind his downfall as the Frenchman sent in Nicklas Bendtner to replace Santi Cazorla and was found hopeless in attack. The Dane failed to get on the end of a cross from Bacary Sagna in the closing minutes of the game and was innocuous throughout his brief cameo.

Given the strength in depth in midfield that the Gunners have, Shearer believes that a top quality striker is the only puzzle missing in the jigsaw that the Gunners have to put in, to have a real shot at the title.

"I've tended to stay with what I said earlier in the season that, up to now, I don't think Arsenal will win it, but if they went out and made a big statement come January and were to get someone like Benzema and carried on the form," he told talkSPORT.

"They looked a bit leggy, they looked a little bit lethargic on Sunday at Old Trafford, and there wasn't the fizz and the buzz around the midfield we have seen in recent games.

"Bearing in mind what we saw them do to Liverpool at the Emirates, when they pulled those three centre-halves all over the place with their movement, I didn't really see [Nemanja] Vidic, [Phil] Jones, when he went to centre-half, and [Jonny] Evans being pulled around half as much as Liverpool's centre-halves," he added.