Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger hails current unit as best attacking crop he has ever worked with

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Arsene Wenger has hailed his current attacking unit as the best he has ever worked with.

England striker Danny Welbeck scored twice during his first start in nine months in their emphatic 5-0 FA Cup win against Southampton on Saturday, with forward Theo Walcott, back from six weeks out, also netting a hat-trick. In the pair's absence, Arsenal were hardly struggling for goals. 

Alexis Sanchez is their leading scorer with 17 in 29 appearances, Olivier Giroud has five in his last six games and 10 in total, while Wenger has £17.1million summer signing Lucas Perez as another option. Youngster Alex Iwobi, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have also regularly featured in offensive roles.

Arsene Wenger has hailed his current attacking unit as the best he has ever worked with

Danny Welbeck made his first start of the season for Arsenal at Southampton on Saturday

Alexis Sanchez is key member of Arsenal's attacking unit that Wenger values so highly

Wenger addresses the media on Monday morning to preview Tuesday's Premier League clash

Wenger's previous most potent attacking force emerged in the 2003/04 Invincibles season. The squad included Thierry Henry, the club's greatest ever striker, physics-defying Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Sylvain Wiltord, Ray Parlour, Jose Reyes, Nwankwo Kanu and Jeremie Aliadiere. But Arsenal's manager has backed his current crop, now they are all fit, as superior. 

'Certainly numbers wise and quality wise together,' Wenger said. 'We had never so many players who could perform and score goals – certainly never. We have scored many goals since the start of the season and Danny was not there. To add him to the squad as well gives us huge offensive potential. 

'Now I have to use the strikers well, in the right moment and without destroying the balance of the team. Offensively, we have many players who can produce and score.' 

The Frenchman admits that he does not know how he is going to handle all of his options. Welbeck, who has missed the majority of the past two years having only returned from a serious injury to his left knee for three months before he was out long-term again with an injury to his right, will be carefully monitored and is 'still not out of it completely, we still have to be cautious with him.' 

Theo Walcott's absence for six week was not keenly felt because of Arsenal's strength in depth

The insatiable Sanchez, in particular, has been sulky and tempestuous when he has been substituted in recent weeks, but Wenger explained that the Chilean is not the only one to take umbrage with his decisions. 

'They all get annoyed,' he said. 'They have a different way to show it. We spoke about that already. It is part of their job as well. It is like in your newspaper there is a thing to do and you have 10 journalists and you can only name one. The other nine show a little bit differently the way that they are unhappy, but they are.' 

Wenger is provided some relief in that they are still competing in the FA Cup, Champions League and for the Premier League title. 

Olivier Giroud has five in his last six games, 10 in total, for a season spent largely on the fringes

He added: 'It is to make the decision for the next game that you think is the right one. Sometimes you consider the problem you face, sometimes you consider the fitness of the players, the fact that, for example, they have played three day before; have they recovered or not? You just try to be honest in your decision and keep everybody on board.

'It helps and it is important to stay in all the competitions as if you have one game every week and you have several strikers, I wish you good luck to keep them happy. It is impossible. 

'People always want you to buy more. And after when you have them they say, "How do you keep them happy now?"' 

Despite his dearth of attacking talent, Wenger is already considering adding another star striker to his ranks in summer. 

Asked about reports that he will try to sign Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Wenger replied: 'We will see what happens in the next window but in this window we will not move.'