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Arsene Wenger has defended his decision not to sign a new striker by insisting he already has three forwards who can score 20 goals this season.

The Arsenal manager's failure to add to his ranks was met with wide-spread condemnation from fans, and that anger was compounded when it was revealed Danny Welbeck would be out for up to six months with a knee injury.

But Wenger hit back at his critics, and claimed Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott are all likely to score 20 goals over the next eight months.

“I think Giroud, Walcott and Sanchez can get around 20 goals without any problem," said Wenger.

"Sometimes you have to trust your players and play them. Then they get there. People want always the absolute certainty that they will be absolutely successful. It is not like that.

(Image: Reuters / Andrew Yates) (Image: Reuters / Tony O'Brien)

"It is not a science that everybody masters and can absolutely predict how many goals everybody will get.

“I would rather have Aaron Ramsey get 15, Mesut Ozil 15, Santi Cazorla 10. Otherwise, if you have only one player who scores, when he is injured you don’t know who will score.”

Despite his insistence on being happy with his squad, Wenger was in the market for a new striker this summer, but couldn't find one he thought would be an upgrade on the options he already had.

And the Arsenal boss believes European clubs simply aren't producing the calibre of strikers they used to.

(Image: Stu Forster/Getty) (Image: Paul Terry/JMP/REX)

"The strikers are South American today," said Wenger. "Europe doesn’t produce strikers any more.

"You look at countries like Germany, who played in Scotland or against Poland with Mario Gotze up front – he’s a creative midfielder.

"I don’t think it’s because they do not want to play with a typical striker but they haven’t got one who’s really convincing at the top level.

"Who in Europe do you see?"

So, what's the answer? Wenger believes the way European clubs approach youth development may need to be radically changed.

(Image: Michael Regan - The FA) (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

He added: "What I am convinced of is that in the academies we have to specialise the players. There is an age from five to 12 where you have the acquisition of the technical skills.

"At 12-14 you start to develop the speed and physical qualities, but from 14 onwards, when you start to position the players for their careers, maybe you have to work with specificity of a position again.

"Maybe we have to rethink completely the education and specialise earlier. What we produce now are good technical players because there are nice pitches out there – before you played in the park where you had to kick the ball up front and you had to fight."