Arsene Wenger is entering the final year of his contract with Arsenal and needs to pull off something special if he is to earn a renewal. Rumours suggest that he may finally be about to swoop for Gonzalo Higuain in a long-mooted move. The Napoli striker could be a devastating addition to the Premier League, and the final piece in the Gunners jigsaw that has been absent for so long. Here we assess the likelihood of such a huge transfer, and what it could mean for the club in the forthcoming season.
Speculation
The newspapers have been rife with speculation over whether Higuain will be coaxed into a move to North London, as they have been during every transfer window for the past three years. Why is he always linked with the club? Possibly because many are in agreement that the Argentine hit man would be the ideal focal point of this Arsenal attack, which has needed an elite finisher ever since Thierry Henry left for Barcelona.
According to the Metro, the Gunners are now prepared to offer up Olivier Giroud to Napoli in an attempt to bring Higuain to the Emirates while the Express have also reported that the London club are desperately working out ways to stump up the £80million price tag on the Argentine’s head. If they managed to land the player then it would be joyous news for Arsenal fans, as many have believed for some time that Giroud does not have what it takes to lead a title charge.
But would the Italian giants want to say goodbye to the man who scored 38 goals in 42 appearances for the club last season, and welcome in a player that went on a twelve-game goal drought at the turn of 2016? Giroud managed to put away three goals at Euro 2016, but also fluffed a fair few golden opportunities along the way. In such a talented France team, things could have worked out differently had Karim Benzema been leading the attack. Why would Napoli want to downgrade?
Evidence
Giroud’s performances over the past few seasons have proved that he can’t cut it at the highest level while pundits and ex-Gunners Thierry Henry and Ian Wright have been screaming out for the manager to sign a top quality striker for the past year. For some time now it has seemed as though Wenger is the only one who believes that the striker is capable of more.
Last summer Wenger decided to stick with Giroud and Theo Walcott as his striking options, and rotate them depending on the fixtures but this didn’t work out. Walcott proved ineffective as the spearhead and the Frenchman soon pushed the pacey Englishman out of the starting eleven. When Giroud’s form drifted off around the turn of the year, Arsenal’s title charge dissipated, although the return of Danny Welbeck brought with it some promise. Tragically, the former Manchester United man suffered another career-halting injury which will see him ruled out until early 2017.
This leaves Giroud as the only solid striking option in Wenger’s preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up. Now that the 29-year-old has proved he can’t maintain consistency throughout a whole campaign, Wenger may finally be attempting to bring in reinforcements. The fact that Arsenal attempted to sign last season’s player of the year, Jamie Vardy, is promising, even though the striker opted to stay with Leicester City. It shows that Wenger is willing and in the market for a new number 9.
“Olivier Giroud” (CC BY 2.0) by Ronnie Macdonald
What it would mean
All of the title challenging teams already have, or have brought in, strikers that they expect will put away at least twenty league goals for them in the season. Last season’s champions had Vardy, who bagged 24 goals, and the previous winners, Chelsea, had Diego Costa who scored 21 goals to help his team. Manchester City have the prolific Sergio Aguero, Manchester United have Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tottenham Hotspur have Harry Kane, last season’s Golden Boot winner.
Arsenal need to have a striker that can rub shoulders with these sensational frontmen, and Higuain could be the perfect man for the job. Three years ago, the club were poised to make a move for the 28-year-old, and he was intended to signify the start of a new era at the Emirates. This was the beginning of an age in which The Gunners now had the financial pull to bring the hottest names in Europe to the club. They have done this with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez but thus far have failed to bring in a world-beating striker.
It still seems that Arsenal are moving slowly in terms of recruiting big-name acquisitions, while all their rivals are stocking up. If Wenger wants to make the most of his final season in charge, he may have to change his philosophy and think along the same lines of the competition.
Higuain enjoyed the best season of his career last time out and won the Capocannoniere with ease (see above). If he could carry that form into the Premier League with Arsenal, then it would be hard to deny that the Gunners would shoot up the list of favourites for the title. With an attacking line-up that also includes Sanchez, Ozil, and Aaron Ramsey, Higuain could be the key to making the stars align at the Emirates.
Will the Argentine sharpshooter finally join the Gunners, or will the fans once again be let down after months of excitement and anticipation? Arsenal begin their campaign against Liverpool on August 14th. If Higuain is at the club by then, Wenger’s team will have an incredible chance of glory in the season to come.
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