After all the hype about the transfer window we are now 20 days into January and some of us are starting to wonder whether any big business will happen at Arsenal at all.
As usual Arsene Wenger seems to be illustrating his penchant for future investment and has been linked with several youngsters during the winter window. Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata has often being discussed on the back pages as a potential striking solution. But the player himself has appeared to throw cold water on the possibility of a transfer this month by telling reporters that he is happy to stay at his current club, Real Madrid, for the foreseeable future.
But we can’t believe that the final 10 days of the window will pass without Arsenal trying to buy another striker. The Gunners are in their best position in the league for years but Manchester City are breathing down their necks and looking formidable right now. Arsenal too, are playing great football, but you feel they will need another striker for the remaining months of the season.
One player who was strongly linked with Arsenal in the summer but who has gone off the boil since he signed a new contract is the Belgian powerhouse Christian Benteke.
It looked for all the world as if he would leave his current club in the summer but he signed a new contract – to the surprise of many. Still, you feel that there is a big move coming for this lad before too long. With his performance level nowhere near last season perhaps he is going a bit stale in The Midlands.
Arsenal need a striker of top quality and this guy surely has a price that The Gunners could afford. The question is whether the manager believes that the player suits the Arsenal style. The Belgian may be more apt for a club like Chelsea, who love a battering ram up top.
But we think he’s be a feasible addition to the squad and one who could make all the difference. Paddy Power have Arsenal as favourites to the next permanent club for Benteke at odds of 5/2. SkyBet also have him as 3/1 clear favourites to join Arsenal in this window.
Arsenal fans, would you be happy with this guy as your major striker signing?
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aj
Jan 20, 2014 at 6:04 pm
No! No! No!
Don’t panic. Benteke is a classic one-season wonder. He is Darren Bent in disguise. There is no need to panic and blow a whole load of cash on another player we can’t get rid of.
Smudger
Jan 20, 2014 at 7:56 pm
No chance, he’s awful. He scored a lot of goals last year, but if you watch his all-around game he spends most of the time miscontrolling the ball and being offside. He would be an atrocious signing for Arsenal. Far better off at a smaller club like Villa, Newcastle or Spurs.
B=====D
Jan 21, 2014 at 4:12 am
This was just running through my head a while ago.. do any you guys think that Diego Costa looks like a Eduardo in disguise too ? i mean the features… both born in Brazil… both turned their backs on the country to join a European country to play international footie
Roland C Rozario
Jan 21, 2014 at 4:56 am
NO! Benteke is just not the type of player Arsenal nor the team need.
Arsenal are classy technical skilled players who play The Arsenal Way …. NO battering rams please!
I.Y.Y. Fulatan
Jan 21, 2014 at 5:25 am
No need 4 bentek is not a talented as arsnl ar thnking is better to sign giovinco more than ds benteke the only thng is dat whn he is playng wd us he is tryng to score agnst us ds is why i’m thnkng arsnal ar thnk he is fantastic.
BG
Jan 21, 2014 at 7:14 am
Benteke is EXACTLY what we need. A strong forward who can win things in the air, and put things away in the box.
Yes, he’s gone off the boil a bit this season. But people forget last season, and the beginning of this season before he got injured. A think it’s more of a bad spell, rather than being a one-season wonder, as people are saying.
He’s also only 23… We haven’t seen the best of him yet!
Me
Jan 21, 2014 at 8:08 am
Presumably the new contract puts Benteke on high wages & has a formidable buyout clause. Villa are on the cusp of the bottom half ‘any of us could be relegated zone so will not be keen to sell.
So not sure where you are getting this ‘has a price that The Gunners could afford’ thing from. The all-in cost of transfer fee + big wages on a long contract would be meaningful enough to sap firepower in summer for someone genuinely good. Arsenal are richer now for sure but that wealth is not limitless & needs to be carefully allocated.
If Benteke was available for £10 mill & £50K per week for 4 years then your argument would hold water but in all likelihood he would cost at least double that.
alex
Jan 21, 2014 at 11:40 am
I honestly think if we had done something 2 get Remy and prevented his loan move 2 newscastle earlier we wouldn’t have been in this situation I seriously think he can do da biz 4 arsenal can play on da wings and upfront.
Harry Barracuda
Jan 21, 2014 at 2:07 pm
He’s a carthorse and I don’t think he’d improve Arsenal at all.