Possible Strikers For Arsenal In The Transfer Window

With the January transfer window quickly approaching Arsenal will surely have to consider bringing in another striker to boost their chances of winning a trophy. At the moment Olivier Giroud is their only real option and it's asking an awful lot of him to stay fit and stay in form up until next May. 

On the face of it Nicklas Bendtner is a ready made replacement but his recent mutterings and lack of form mean he is little more than dead weight. Bendtner has made it clear he wanted to leave Arsenal on deadline day but the club stopped him when their plans to bring in back up for Giroud failed. I can only imagine he will be looking to move again come January 1st although he did have the whole summer to find a new club and would have been allowed to leave if he hadn't left it so late.

He hasn't had much of a look in since his return to the first team squad even though Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski have both been injured. It has to be better for the club and the player too for him to leave as soon as possible. On the face of it he's an ideal back up for Giroud but things are never that simple with Bendtner.

Both Walcott and Podolski should be available to return very soon but neither of them are similar players to Giroud. Arsenal have adapted their game to suit Giroud and his ability to hold the ball and bring others into the game has worked very well. If he was to get injured either Walcott or Podolski couldn't play that way and the team would have to change the way it plays.

Of course Arsenal have some magnificent players who are by no means one dimensionl in how they play the game and they can play in a variety of styles. Even at that though I don't think Walcott or Podolski are the finished articles as far as out and out strikers go, but both have a lot to offer the team in their wide roles. There are plenty of players out there who could offer a real alternative to Giroud or who could replace or supplement him when the occasion required it. I'll try to analyse a few of them here and gauge Arsenal's realistic chances of signing them in the transfer window.

Javier Hernandez 

Hernandez isn't exactly the same type of player as Giroud, but he is an excellent finisher. He has never been a first choice at United and is believed to be anxious to get more playing time. He has had his problems with injury but there are few better natural finishers when he is fit.

Whether United would be prepared to sell him to a rival or not is another question. When Arsenal sold Robin van Persie to United I thought they should have insisted on Hernandez being a make weight in the deal, but it didn't happen obviously. Maybe it's time for "Little Pea" to find an escape pod and if so I would be more than happy to see him sign for Arsenal.

Karim Benzema

Benzema has been linked with Arsenal for quite a while now and he's another player who would definitely improve the team/squad. He's a striker who's very good on the ball and probably better facing goal than with his back to it unlike Giroud. He has a very good scoring record at Real Madrid and would fit right in with the skillful attacking players Arsenal have.

Madrid might not be so keen to sell him particularly after the criticism they got for selling Ozil to Arsenal. If he's out of the picture at Madrid or they sign another striker he's a real possibility for Arsenal in January.

Eden Dzeko

Dzeko has never really made himself a first choice at City. At the moment he is behind Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo in the pecking order and it's hard to see him getting too many chances. He would be more similar to Giroud than some of the other options and looks like he could easily fit into the Arsenal team at the moment. 

It's a question of whether City want to sell him or not and whether they would sell him to Arsenal. Like Madrid they could well be in the market for a striker in January which could make Dzeko surplus to requirements. If that's the case I wouldn't be surprised to see Arsenal make a move for him although they might not be prepared to pay what City are looking for.

Christian Benteke

Benteke had a fantastic season with Villa last season and started this season in excellent form too. He has suffered a slight setback with an injury but now that he's back the goals will surely flow again. He's another player who would fit right in at the moment at Arsenal as his style is very similar to that of Giroud.

His power and pace are probably better than those of Giroud and I was surprised Arsenal weren't interested in him in the summer. He did sign a new contract with Villa after initially looking for a move and I can't imagine Villa would be too keen to sell him. If Arsenal were to make a bid who knows what might happen and I would be more than happy to see him in an Arsenal shirt. 

Luis Suarez

Suarez wanted to join Arsenal in the summer as he desperately looked to leave Liverpool. Neither him nor Arsenal were successful in the end and Liverpool have started the season very well. Suarez has been on fire since returning from his 10 game ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic and surely his goal scoring ability would be a great asset to Arsenal.

I can't imagine Licerpool wanting to part with Suarez though and they showed in the summer that they have the will to keep him. Even if they could be tempted with a huge offer I think Arsenal would have to smash their transfer record again to get him and I can't see that happening so soon. For me he would probably be the ideal choice for Arsenal to sign, but it's highly unlikely that they will sign him.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.