Clarke: Wenger Should Play Oxlade-Chamberlain as Striker

Former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke has urged Arsene Wenger that he should utilise Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a striker to ease the goal-scoring burden on Olivier Giroud.

Although, Wenger has Lukas Podolski and Yaya Sanogo as additional striking options, Clarke believes the England international is the better player who can perform at that role.

The youngster also earned plaudits for his performance during the Gunners' 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena in the Champions League.

Wenger has previously utilised Theo Walcott as a striker in the past but the 24-year-old is ruled out for the rest of the campaign after rupturing the cruciate ligament injury in his left knee in January.

Clarke also states that the north London side miss Walcott's blistering pace and urges the club's manager to play Oxlade-Chamberlain as a striker in the upcoming fixtures.

"Maybe it's worth giving Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a go up front at some point. He's getting closer, Arsene Wenger played him just behind Giroud for a lot of that game in Munich so I wonder if that's something we'll see in the weeks to come," Clarke told talkSPORT.

"They so badly miss the pace of Theo Walcott. That's why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as being bang in form at the moment, is really standing out. He is the one player in that side who has got blistering pace and can get in beyond defenders. The rest of players like to play in front, they're very skilful players but they don't have that speed to stretch defences," he added.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has featured 15 times for the Gunners in all competitions and has four goals and three assists to his name this campaign.

Despite the elimination from the Champions League against Bayern, the winger is rooting for his side to grab all three points when Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur at Whiter Hart Lane on Sunday.

"We've got a really good game coming up on Sunday, one that all the fans want to win and we want to win. It's a massive game for not only the Club and for the city and the rivalry, it's also a big opportunity for us to stake a claim on the league, so we'll be looking to do that and bounce back," Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal's official website.