Do Arsenal Still Need This Long Term Attacking Target?

Arsene Wenger will be desperate to sign a striker this summer, as he looks to win that much awaited Premier League trophy. The fans were left frustrated for another year as their team finished runners ups to the eventual Champions Leicester City. Wenger was heavily criticized after he became the only manager in the top five leagues of Europe not to sign an outfield player. What hurt Arsenal the most was their woeful finishing up front. They had players who were creating chances from the back, however there was no one who was clinical enough all season.

Giroud didn’t have a bad season as such but he still has found himself a target of a lot of fan abuse. Wenger will want to keep the French striker for longer but he will also like to bring in another world class forward who can cover for Giroud and give the team something different going forward. One player who has been repeatedly linked with Arsenal for the past 2-3 years is Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine international was on the verge of moving to the Emirates a couple of years ago, however the striker felt Napoli were a better choice and moved to Italy, leaving Wenger with very little options.

Higuain would not come cheap but now might be the perfect time for Wenger to bite the bullet and splash the cash, as there are just two years left on his current contract and at 28-years old he is in the form of his life. Last season he broke the long standing Serie A scoring record by hitting 36 goals and he has continued in a similar vein for Argentine at this summer’s Copa America, with two goals in the quarters against Venezuela followed by another two against the hosts USA.

A move to north London may be tempting, where he can slot straight into the starting XI and play with a better supporting cast of players. He’s a much superior finisher to Olivier Giroud who can also run with the ball, and for Arsenal fans the prospect of him playing alongside the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez is hugely appealing.

Higuain has been consistent for whichever team he has played for. The French-born striker has scored a phenomenal 71 goals in 104 games since joining Napoli in 2013, while is record at Real Madrid was also impressive as he bagged 107 goals in 190 games. The likes of Chelsea and PSG are also interested in signing the striker, therefore Wenger might have to get involved in a bidding war, which will only raise his value.

Although age is not on Higuain side, still if he only performs at his best for two more seasons, his goals can make all the difference for Arsenal and Wenger would be wise to invest in him.