Mistakes are something that everyone makes. Whether you are student, a professional or a football manager. As they say, to err is human. But in the world of modern football, a slight error can cost managers millions of pounds. That is one of the reasons why although there are so many good managers in the world, there are very few great ones. Sir Alex Ferguson was one and Arsene Wenger is on his way towards greatness, if not there already.
But the truth is that sometimes even the greatest of managers can have a blind spot that they fail to recognize. An area of the squad that they need to replenish but fail to do so year after year. For all of his legacy and greatness, Ferguson’s inability or reluctance to add top-quality central midfielders in his final few years is one of the reasons why the Red Devils are struggling. While Arsenal have plenty of options in midfield, the same cannot be said for their attacking options.
Just like Ferguson and the curios case of his central midfielders, Wenger seems to have an aversion to signing world-class strikers and that is something that is hindering Arsenal’s progress. While the signing of Alexis Sanchez was heralded as the beginning of a new dawn, he is a luxury signing and not a signing that addressed the concerns the Gunners have up front.
Not since the departure of Robin Van Persie have the Gunners had a truly world-class striker who was the focal point of their attack. Olivier Giroud, for all his qualities isn’t among the top strikers in world football right now. While he is certainly doing a job for the team, for a club like Arsenal, who are looking to challenge on both domestic and European fronts, they need someone of a higher caliber than the Frenchman.
Despite what Arsene Wenger claims and will have you believe, the simple fact is that Arsenal need another striker and have needed another for some time now. The injury to Giroud means that now more than ever, they need a striker to lead the line. The inexperience of Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell coupled with fitness worries hanging over Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott means that the Gunners are in dire need of a world class center forward.
Over the past few days, amidst the myriad of names that have been linked with the club, two names have stood out. AS Monaco’s Radamel Falcao and PSG’s Edinson Cavani. Both strikers are in the prime of their careers and both of them would immeasurably improve the Gunners’ attack. But both strikers present the Gunners with two different problems if they are to arrive at the club.
The case with Falcao is pretty simple, Monaco aren’t really looking to sell the Colombian but are alright with loaning him out to interested parties as long as they pay his £10m salary along with the £20m that Monaco demand for his signing, which takes the deal to a total off £30m. While it doesn’t represent a bad deal on the face of it, the simple fact is that his signing will only be a short-term fix to the Gunners’ long-term problem. What the club needs is not just somebody to come in as cover until Giroud is back from injury, but also someone who can replace Giroud as the club’s first choice. And Falcao isn’t certainly that and even if the Gunners do agree to buy Falcao, it wouldn’t be a wise move considering the fact that the striker apparently favors a move back to Spain to Madrid.
The case with Cavani however is a different one. Although he only signed for PSG last summer, Financial Fair Play constraints mean that the Parisian club are open to offers. And any fee at least above £40 million is something that will give the club a decision to make. While the injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic means that Cavani is currently first-choice, the fact that the Swedish striker has professed his love for the club and is looking to retire there means that Cavani is unlikely to get the chance to play in his favored central striker position in the long run. And that means that even the player might be considering his options in order to get more playing time.
While Cavani would be considerably more expensive, the fact that he is a long-term solution means that the Gunners should go for it. Wenger has already shown with his signing of Ozil last year that he is unafraid to splash the cash if the situation demands and the situation certainly demands it now. If Arsenal can get their hands on Cavani, then not only will Wenger have addressed a long-term concern but would’ve also made his side a force to be reckoned with.
Comments are closed.