Old stubborn pants Wenger is about as likely to spend £30m on a defender as he is to admit that his transfer policy is somewhat lacking.
But, when it comes to attackers, Arsene loves a flutter.
And a top quality striker is surely the piece of the puzzle that will see Arsenal over the line in term of serious silverware.
They have so much creativity going forward – you could easily argue that Arsenal have the best midfield pool of players in the league – but they haven’t always got the world class finish at the end of it.
Arsenal can afford to waste chances against the lesser sides because they create so many.
But when they come up against the elite clubs they need to make their chances count – hence the need for a better striker than Olivier Giroud.
He’s a really good number 9 but not one of the very best.
Which is why the best player that Arsenal could sign this summer is surely Karim Benzema.
Benzema – Comfortably one of the top 5 strikers in Europe
It’s never easy to bring a player of this quality on board.
But we feel that Wenger should spend the rest of the window trying to make it happen.
Even if the price went up to £50m for the 27 year old it would be worth every penny for Arsenal as the trophies rolled in.
If Benzema won’t come then go for Cavani or Higuain – cold-blooded master marksmen who can win the points for Arsenal when they aren’t playing well.
With a player of Benzema’s quality in the side Arsenal fans could be seriously optimistic about a title push.
But if Arsenal don’t push on this year perhaps some of their big stars will look for pastures new. Because players like Alexis Sanchez expect to be winning major trophies ever year.
paul35mm
Aug 18, 2015 at 10:54 pm
Describing Benzema, Cavani, and Higuain as cold-blooded master marksmen is a bit hyperbolic. They are all very good players. World Class, by most measures. The inference is they are head and shoulders beyond what Arsenal have now and I’m not sure that’s true.
Case in point, Diego Costa, who most people would put in the same category as Benzema, Higuain, and Cavani. Personally, I would put Cavani above all the others in this group. He has consistently scored 30+ goals in Serie A and Ligue 1. The others have flirted with 30 or gone over once or twice. These are all top, top players to be sure. But compare their goal reurns with Diego Costa’s. Costa scored 36 for Atletico Madrid to earn his move to Chelsea and most football fans would agree his first year was a hands-down success. He scored 21 goals in all competitions and always looked likely to add to his totals. Still, this is a 14 goal drop in what he produced for Atletico. This drop in production from stars who leave La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A is normal. The Premier League is more physical, more competitive, and teams don’t give up when they’re down two or three goals.
Why does this matter? If you are thinking of bringing in Benzema, Higuain, or Cavani as a replacement for Giroud; and that’s what you’re doing. Giroud is not going to stay if you bring in someone to take his job, how much do you really add to the team? And at what cost? And by cost, I’m not talking about just money.
In his last three seasons Higuain scored 18, 29 and 24 for Real Madrid and Napoli. If he comes to Arsenal and suffers a similarly lower production to Costa, then his next three seasons will be 4, 15 and 10 goals. Cavani, having scored 38, 25, and 31 for for Napoli and PSG could expect to score 24, 11, and 17 for Arsenal. Benzema scored 20, 24, 22 for Real Madrid. In the Premier League, if he suffers a similar drop to Costa, you could reasonably expect 6, 10, and 8 goals from him for Arsenal. Giroud did the same or better than these players, having scored 17, 22, and 19 goals in all competitions over his last three seasons with Arsenal.
So are you really improving the side if you bring in one of these three stars if adding him costs you Giroud? And it will. Whether some Arsenal fans will admit it or not, Giroud is knocking on the door of the world class club. I wouldn’t say he’s inside yet, but he’s maybe next in line through the velvet ropes. Plus, he’s been a workhorse. Last season he missed games do to a broken bone, but in his first two years he played 47 & 51 games for the Arsenal. Even in his injury shortened season he scored 19 in 36 appearances in all competitions. That’s production by any measure. He is also physical, brings others into the game, and blends well with the other Arsenal stars.
It is possible and even likely that Cavani, Higuain, and Benzema could be 20 goal per season strikers in the Premier League, but it can’t be considered a given. There are plenty of other top players from other leagues who couldn’t reach the same heights in England as they did in other leagues (Radamel Falcao anyone?). So before you get on Arsene Wenger’s case for not adding a striker, which I really don’t think he will, think about the cost. Subtract giroud’s produciton from anything you add, andf then think about the team chemistry that will be lost, and decide if your job was on the line, would you take the risk? Would you spend £50 million or more knowing it will cost you your lead striker, chemistry it has taken years to build, and upset your entire wage structure?
I’m not sure I would. I like Arsenal’s strike force. I think Welbeck has room to grow and become a reliable back up to Giroud and perhaps, eventually, a first team #9. Arsenal has Theo Walcott who has proven he can play in the middle, and Chuba Akpom waiting in the wings, Except for Man City, no other team can claim a deeper, more reliable strike force.
Is Costa better than Giroud? Yes is my answer as well as most other people’s. Will he play enough to win take Chelsea to the title? That’s a question mark in my mind. Man City have the one-two punch of Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony and I love both of those players, but nothing more behind them. I’m sure Pellegrini would like another front man. Chelsea have Costa, but behind him Falcao and Loic Remy. That’s good and if Falcao returns to form, excellent, but until Falcao proves out, not as deep as Arsenal. Manchester United have Rooney, Chicharito, then James Wilson. They say Memphis Depay is a forward, but he’s never really been one.
What Arsenal need to win the title isn’t another star striker. They could probably use a top-shelf defensive midfielder. I like Coquelin but he can’t play 60+ games and Arteta can’t compete against top sides any more. Same thing for Flamini. He’s fine against West Brom but Chelsea? No. My choice would be Javi Martinez from Bayern. He is a top class DM who can also play CB if needed. He is not fully fit right now, and he is certainly surplus to requirements at Bayern, with Philip Lahm claiming his preferred position. He is a player worth the risk for Arsenal, but beyond that I don’t see any glaring holes in Arsenal’s team. Provided they stay healthy.