Arsenal losing striker Robin Van Persie was a disaster for the club. The Dutchman is a touch above all the other strikers in Arsene Wenger’s squad.
Lack of options
Arsenal really don’t have that many other options up front. They have Eduardo, who I think still hasn’t got back to his best since his awful injury. He is still decent but isn’t quite performing at the top of his game.
Then there is highly rated youngster Carlos Vela. The Mexican ace is already an international but only seems to play in the Carling Cup and FA Cup. He hasn’t been given many chances in the Premier League to prove his worth.
Then there is Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner. However the 21 year-old has been playing as a winger this season. There are big doubts whether he is good enough to play in the top flight. English starlet Theo Walcott has hardly played this season and people are also still wondering whether his best position is as a central striker or as a winger. For me he makes a better winger than a central striker.
Russian ace Andrey Arshavin is a superb player and a player I really enjoy watching. However he isnt exactly a striker either, hes better equip to play in the hole behind a main striker or as a playmaking central midfielder. Although he did play well as a central striker against Stoke at the weekend and produced a pretty impressive performance. He could be the answer in the short-term.
Lack of funds
Arsene Wenger seems to have a fight on his hands to bring in a decent striker. He has limited transfer funds at his disposal. On the current striking situation he revealed:
“We’re at the beginning of December, if we are in the same situation with injuries in January then I will see.
“But we can’t dream too much of finding a world class player because that’s what is needed to strengthen our team. But they also need not to be European cup-tied and who is also free so we must hope Father Christmas is good to us!”
Wenger really doesn’t sound to confident of finding a decent new option for his attack. Unless a jolly fat man in a red suit falls down his chimney this Christmas with a striker, it doesn’t seem like Arsene will get what he wants at this festive time of the year!
Possible targets
There has been lots of names linked with the Gunners in recent weeks. A few of them have raised some eyebrows like former United ace Ruud Van Nistelrooy. A deal is very unlikely due to the fact he was involved in some major spats with the Gunners during his time at Old Trafford.
The veteran striker wants to leave Real Madrid after falling down the pecking order. He has appeared for Los Blancos in the Champions League which by Wenger’s own admission is a key criteria in signing a striker. At 33 he is nearing the end of his career and Wenger would rather sign younger players.
Another player who has been linked with the Gunners is Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian international is highly rated and wanted by a host of other clubs including Manchester United, AC Milan and Chelsea. He could also prove to be out of Arsenal’s price range. He is also European cup-tied, so that is also a negative.
West Ham striker Carlton Cole probably fits Arsenal’s bill perfectly. However with West Ham currently struggling up front and lacking attacking options its hard to see them selling their main attacking threat. Cole has improved immensely over the last season and a half or so and I believe if Arsenal could prise him away he would be a good buy.
Good for top three
Even without signing another striker and the lack of Van Persie, Arsenal will probably still manage to finish in the top three. They have a lot of good attacking midfielders such Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Andrey Arshavin and Thomas Rosicky all capable of chipping with a few goals.
Then there is the young midfielders coming through at the club with the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere both looking to break into the first team squad on a regular basis. They should be fine until the summer, when Wenger may get a bit more cash to spend and won’t have to worry about things like players being cup-tied.
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