Arsenal missed a great opportunity last season to win that much awaited title as their other traditional rivals struggled to find any consistent all through last year. The Gunners finished runner up behind Leicester City as Ranieri’s men did the unthinkable, in process denting Arsenal’s hope for ending their Premier League drought. Wenger came under severe criticism from some sections of the fans as they demanded that he resigned after repeated failures in the League. The Frenchman also became the only manager in the top five leagues in the world to not sign an outfield player last summer, something that came to haunt him badly afterwards.
Wenger will be mindful of the fact that one more unsuccessful season at the Emirates could bring an end to his fairytale journey with Arsenal. He is desperate to get players this summer who could improve the quality of the squad and help Arsenal mount a proper title challenge next season. The most urgent need is of a world class striker, who can provide cover for Giroud and also give the team something different going forward. Since the departure of Robin Van Persie, Arsenal have been searching for a 20-25 goal season striker, Giroud has done a good job in the meantime but he is short of players like Aguero and Suarez.
A number of strikers have been linked with Arsenal over past few seasons and one particular name that strikes out is Gonzalo Higuain. The former Real Madrid striker has been on Arsenal radar from his time at Bernabeu, however the Argentine decided to join the Italian team Napoli in the summer of 2013. Higuain had the most successful season of his career last year as he scored a record-breaking 36 league goals in Serie A. Higuain is a strong finisher. However there are doubts regarding his importance to an Arsenal team. He often lacks the big match mentality, proved by his dreadful missing in the two Copa America finals and 2014 World Cup ofcourse.
Even with Napoli last season, his goals didn’t dry up but he was often poor in the big matches especially against Juventus and AC Milan. Arsene Wenger has always been in favour of blooding youngsters into the first team and making them part of the future. However at 28 years old and and the price of a rumoured £80m, Higuain isn’t your typical Arsenal signing.
Players like Van Persie have disappeared after one season at new clubs, Higuain might be able to provide that instant success but he won’t offer much in the future. The difference between the two could be the enormous transfer fee of the Argentine international. At this time Wenger should be looking to spend on talent young striker, who can forge his legacy at Arsenal.