If Arsene Wenger knew which striker to buy, he would buy one
48 comments January 6th, 2010
If Arsene Wenger knew which striker to buy, he would buy one. He has reiterated several times already that he has both the money and the desire to spend, but not the player required. With prices at a premium and clubs eager to hang on to players halfway through the season (at, don’t forget, a time when the teams are bereft of African talent), it is not easy to identify a Champions League-quality striker available at a reasonable price.
Arsene suggested yesterday that his transfer activity will be influenced by Nicklas Bendtner’s scans on Friday. The player was previously expected to miss another three weeks – if that becomes two months, Arsene says he will be forced to dip in to the market. But I’m not sure I buy it: I don’t believe that the absence of Bendtner for one month is what will make or break the difference when it comes to a £10m investment. What it will come down to is whether or not a suitable player is available at an appropriate price.
When January rolled around last year, Arsene already knew who he wanted. The first contact with representatives of Andrey Arshavin was made in December. Unless Arsene is playing a very good bluffing game (and more often that not he’s been fairly straight up about his transfer dealings of late), there is no imminent move on the horizon.
There is one striker out there who we know Arsene wants. He tried to buy him in the Summer but backed out when Bordeaux asked for a huge £15m. Sadly, Marouane Chamakh seems determined to wait until July to move on a Bosman. Perhaps Arsene will choose to stick with Bendtner and wait to snare his long-term target for free.
In other news, Arsene spoke about the two contract suggestions in the news yesterday: those of Merida and Gallas. After the Spanish teenager was linked with signing a five-year deal with Athletico Madrid, the manager didn’t seem particularly confident about him staying:
“I don’t know, but I fear the worst. I am a bit disappointed if he has [signed for Atlético]. We have made him an offer which was accepted at the start, but he could never finalise for different reasons. He is at the stage where he wants to play. He needs to play. He is still available to me and I will do what is good for the club until the end of the season.”
Gallas, however, is a different situation:
“I had a pre-meeting with his agents a month ago and we agreed to meet again at the beginning of the year … For a striker at 32 you can only give a year. For a defender, we’ll see. I don’t know his thoughts. We have never spoken about his plans, so I will see what they are.”
Whilst the Spaniard has great potential, I’m not sure he’d be a huge loss. With Ramsey, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson and Nasri all towards the start of their careers yet ahead of him in the first-team, it’s a congested path to success at Arsenal. If he does join Athletico, I wish him luck. He’ll flourish in La Liga.
I made my feelings on Gallas clear yesterday. Here’s hoping it’s sorted soon.
So, are we playing a match tonight? It all seems a bit up in the air, due to the blizzard-like weather conditions all over the country. There’s been no mention of cancellation, but you’d have to think it’s a possibility – I’ve no idea if Bolton were able to travel yesterday or if London transport will be up to dealing with 60,000 fans in Islington. Keep your eyes peeled on Arsenal.com throughout the day in case of problems – I’ve been told the decision will be made about midday.
If we do play, Andrey Arshavin and Denilson will return to the side, with the latter in the Alex Song role. There should be no lack of motivation for the team – they know what is at stake. Win and we go second and within a point of Chelsea. It’s a significant prize. Let’s take our chance and pile the pressure on. Much as we’ll miss Song in the coming month, they’ll miss Drogba more.
Come On You Reds (should you be playing).
