Carragher Questions Arsenal's Star Power as Saka and Odegaard Fall Short of Elite Status

Jamie Carragher has trained his critical eye on Arsenal's attacking prowess, questioning whether Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have ever truly blossomed into the superstars the Gunners desperately need.

Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender outlined what he sees as Arsenal's fundamental problem: not a mentality deficiency—which he credits the north Londoners with possessing—but rather a shortage of genuine quality in the final third.

"When I watch Arsenal, I don't think they've got an absolute superstar in the front four or five players," Carragher explained. "I thought Saka and Odegaard were going to get there a few years ago. I thought they were ready to almost become the best players in the Premier League. I still don't think Arsenal have got one of them."

The comments arrived following Arsenal's 1-1 stalemate at Brentford, a result that has complicated their title ambitions heading into Wednesday's trip to Molineux. While Arteta's side boasts the league's most miserly defence, they trail Manchester City in the goals column—a gap Carragher attributes directly to the absence of a genuine game-changer in attack.

"I made a comment about Arsenal about a month ago on the back of picking my Premier League team of the season so far," he noted. "People talk about their mentality – I actually think Arsenal have great mentality. But their problem could be a lack of quality in the final third."

Wayne Rooney offered a contrasting perspective, suggesting that the modern Premier League title race doesn't necessarily demand a singular superstar carrying the load. "I agree that they haven't got an out-and-out superstar that's world class, a player you pin everything on," Rooney said. "But what I think what we've seen over the last three years is they know how to win games."

The former Manchester United striker pointed to Arsenal's recent track record as evidence that collective quality and winning mentality can compensate for the absence of a Ronaldo, Drogba, or Agüero-calibre talent. "Have they got that superstar, you know, Ronaldo or Drogba, Aguero type player who's going to make a difference? I don't think they have but you know how to win games, and you've shown that over the last two years."