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.

Has Arsene Wenger Lost The Plot?

After their disastrous start to the season on Saturday Arsenal now head off to Turkey for a Champions League qualifier with a squad so thin they could struggle to field a team. There have been no arrivals of note this summer and their injury list is mounting by the minute. They have to somehow patch together a team that can bring back a result which gives them a chance of qualifying for the group stages.

The latest injury news would seem to indicate that only Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be missing from the squad which was available on Saturday and Nacho Monreal will return. There are quite a few players carrying knocks though and despite being in the squad there are still doubts over Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott. All of them could well be available for selection but it's always a risk playing players who are carrying a knock.

There is no choice for Arsenal though with such a thin squad and virtually no players added to it over the summer. While almost all of the other Premier League teams have a week's rest between each game at the moment Arsenal have two vital games against Fenerbache to play. How the squad was allowed to reach this stage in the season without strengthening is anyone's guess.

That leads me to the blog title because Arsene Wenger is the man who makes the decisions at Arsenal and he seemed to be happy to wait until closer to the deadline day to make his moves in the market. I can't help feeling that he thought the side which finished last season so well was strong enough to make a real challenge this season and decided that he wouldn't add to it unless he got the right players at the right price. He has often said how only top, top players will improve his team, but those players cost top, top money.

Gonzalo Higuain was allowed to join Napoli as Arsenal concentrated on chasing Liverpool's Luis Suarez in the mistaken belief he had a release clause in his contract. A month later they have got no further with their quest for Suarez and don't seem prepared to up their offer to a level that would make Liverpool consider selling. While they have been chasing Suarez it appears that they decided to put all other potential targets on the back burner.

The lessons of two seasons ago don't seem to have been learned and Arsenal are making the same mistakes all over again. That summer Arsenal sold both Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas and did virtually nothing about strengthening their squad until the disastrous 8-2 defeat away to Manchester United. Then they went on a deadline day shopping spree which resulted in a few good purchases, but some pretty bad ones too.

They were in the market for any player they could get at the right price and it smelled of panic. This season the transfer window is rapidly approaching and Arsenal are again sniffing around for any player they can get their hands on at the right price. The most annoying thing for me is that Arsenal can afford to buy the quality they need but they just don't seem prepared to pay what has to be paid for genuine quality.

There are still players out there who could make a genuine difference to the Arsenal team and who could be bought if the right money was offered. Those players were available in June and July and are still available now and can be acquired if Arsenal truly go all out to get them. If they end up buying three or four reasonable players who will fit nicely into the squad but not actually walk into the team then they will have truly missed an opportunity to get back among the title contenders. 

What I also find hard to understand is that Arsenal allowed both Frances Coquelin and Ignasi Miquel to go out on loan before they brought players in to play in their positions. I have no doubt both of those players could benefit from the loan moves, but why were they not kept until closer to the deadline day just in case they were needed. With the current injury problems Arsenal have those two players could have at least shored gaps until the end of the month.

When Laurent Koscielny was sent off on Saturday Ramsey had to fill in at centre back and surely Miquel would have been a far better choice if he hadn't been shipped off to Leicester. I have no doubt Miquel wouldn't have been caught so badly out of position as Ramsey was when Villa broke to score their third goal on Saturday. I'm not blaming Ramsey though because he's not a centre back and shouldn't have had to have been asked to play there.

If I made serious errors of judgement in my job such as the ones previously made by Arsenal and then repeated them I would expect to be in a lot of trouble. It's one thing to make such serious errors of judgement, but not to learn from them and repeat them is an entirely different matter. If Arsenal end up partaking in another deadline day shopping spree it can be nothing but mismanagement in my opinion.

Whether the boss has lost the plot or not is another thing, but I'm not sure that he even knows what the plot is at the moment. Until the club can have the where with all to work out a cohesive transfer policy and follow it through then the fans will continue to lose confidence in the management. It is getting very close to the stage where even the Arsenal fans loyal to the boss have decided enough is enough and the next two weeks will decide an awful lot.

Arsenal could turn it all around and qualify for the group stages of the Champions League as well as beating both Fulham and Spurs before the window closes. However unlikely that sounds it is of course possible and the world of Arsenal would seem a much better place if they did so. They could also spend all of their transfer loot on the players that are needed and make a real challenge in the league for the first time in a few years. 

That scenario seems highly unlikely at the moment though but it was the one sold to Arsenal fans at the beginning of the summer when it was season ticket renewal time. If the club fail to live up to those promises there will be an awful lot of very unhappy fans who will not forgive what has happened. It's a scenario I really don't want to see but it's one that's becoming increasingly likely. 

Ideally I would like to see Arsene Wenger lead the club forward by investing the money the club has properly and bring the glory days back. There was a real opportunity to make that happen this summer and that opportunity hasn't completely gone yet but the likelyhood of it lessens almost by the day. 

In summation I don't think he has lost the plot but it's quite possible he has got severe writer's block with his publication deadline approaching. The money has been paid up front and if he can't overcome his block then he'll have to hand it all back. If Arsenal don't make the Champions League group stages and drop out of the top four then the financial consequences could be just as severe for them.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Do Arsenal Have A Transfer Policy

The transfer window has been open for what seems like an awful long time now, but still there's no inward movement at Arsenal with the exception of the free arrival of Yaya Sanogo. July has come and gone and we're into August now, but still the Arsenal cheque book remains under lock and key. There's plenty of money to spend and loads of space in the squad after quite a few departures too.

So far Arsenal have been linked with plenty of players but the stumbling block invariably tends to be he prices being sought by the selling clubs. Apparently Arsenal had agreed a deal with Real Madrid for Gonzalo Higuain but Madrid upped their price and Arsenal decided to walk away from them. I can understand the club's position if Madrid did move the posts, but the switch of emphasis to Luis Suarez is one that really puzzles me.

Arsenal will have to pay an awful lot more for Suarez than they could have got Higuain for and Higuain is the one with the better conversion rate. Arsene Wenger is a man who is very fond of judging players on their statistics and for me Higuain's conversion rate was the reason they should have pushed the boat out to sign him. As each day passes the likely hood of the quality players Arsenal desperately need to sign actually arriving seems to diminish.

To me it looks like all other possible deals have been put on hold until the Suarez deal has been decided one way or the other and that's not a good thing. The other clubs Arsenal would hope to be competing with next summer have all been very busy in the transfer market with the exception of the champions. If the latest rumours are to be believed United will be bringing a pretty spectacular end to their search for players very soon with Cristiano Ronaldo on his way back to them.

If that deal is to happen it would also see Spurs' star player Gareth Bale on the way to Real Madrid for a record transfer fee. The figures being quoted are quite astounding and very hard to believe but they would give Spurs an awful lot of money to invest if they are true. They would also show how badly Arsenal missed out with the sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona two years ago and to a lesser degree with Robin van Persie's sale to United last summer.

It's hard to see a coherent transfer policy at Arsenal at the moment as they hold out for Suarez. Surely a club with a coherent policy would have brought in the other players the club needs even if they were waiting on the arrival of their marquee signing. With Suarez suspended for the first six domestic games they can afford to wait until nearer to deadline day to try to resolve his transfer but the other players are needed now.

With other clubs already investing heavily in their squads it's hard to see how Arsenal can hope to become genuine contenders again without investing themselves. The boss has said the squad he has can challenge as it is but I can only hope he is saying that to keep his cards close to his chest. They might have finished last season very strongly but they have a long way to go to keep up with United, City and Chelsea.

Even Spurs could end up with a far better team if they sell Bale and invest the money they make wisely. This summer seems to be all about the clubs at the top investing and Arsenal have to do that to keep pace with them. Only time will tell if they really will do so, but at the moment it looks less likely by the day. 

I hope I'm wrong and the club come out and spend the money they have on the players that are needed and make us fans happy. If they sign those players and it all goes wrong they will at least have tried, but if they don't sign them and fail to challenge then it will make things very tough for the boss. The decisions he makes in the next few weeks could be the ones that finally move the team forward after too many years of what can be called stagnation at best.

If you haven't done so already why not join my fantasy league for the new season with the code 23040-7359 after you have set up your team. Those who were in it last season will automatically be in again but there's room for loads more teams. There's €50 from my pocket for the winner which may increase if I can get some sponsorship or if everybody keeps clicking those ads on my blog. If you do join up feel free to tell me on Twitter (@JamrockRover) or in the forum on the fantasy site so I can get to know who I'll to pay the money to and good luck.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Finish Their Asian Tour With a 2-1 Win And Latest Arsenal News

Arsenal played the final game of their Asian tour against Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan today and ended up winning 2-1 to make it four wins out of four on the trip. It was the closest of the four games after they had scored seven goals in both Indonesia and Vietnam and had beaten Nagoya Grampus 3-1 on Monday.

Arsene Wenger started with a strong team but as usual on this tour he made plenty of changes throughout the game. The Arsenal goals came from Lukas Podolski and Chuba Akpom with their opponents getting an equaliser in between those two goals. Podolski took his goal nicely after Theo Walcott set him for a volley inside the area and Akpom took advantage of some dreadful defending to net the winner with less than 10 minutes to go.

There's no real point in going into how the team played or which players looked better than others as the point of these games has been to get the team fit for the new season. Of course the club wanted to put on a show for their fans in all three countries and they did just with four wins and 19 goals in the four games. If the purpose of the tour was to raise the club's profile in Asia and help to increase their fan base then it has been a huge success. The team got a great reception wherever they went and the players seemed to have a really good time on the trip as well as getting some hard pre season work done. 

It's back to England for the players now and next up is the Emirates Cup next weekend. They play Napoli on Saturday before playing Galatasaray on Sunday in what should be two pretty tough games. In the Napoli game the Arsenal fans will more than likely get a chance to see the one that got away when Gonzalo Higuain plays for their opponents.

I was all for the club signing Higuain but it appears that Luis Suarez is the man they want and continue to pursue. There's some disagreement between Suarez's camp and Liverpool over the clause in his contract which allows clubs to talk to him when they bid over £40 million. Apparently the Suarez camp are of the opinion that the £40 million is akin to a buyout clause, but Liverpool believe otherwise. It could all get very nasty and legal teams are bound to be called in at haste.

Who knows what the outcome will be or how long it will take to sort it all out but it's becoming a very unseemly business altogether. I have no desire to see Arsenal's biggest transfer target ever having his future decided in the courts. If it does go that far though I can't see how he could remain a Liverpool player.

I don't envy the situation Liverpool are in either and it has it's similarities with the one Arsenal were in with Robin van Persie last summer. All the cards were in Van Persie's hand though as he only had one year left on his contract and would have left on a fee transfer a year later if he hadn't been sold. Liverpool can afford to keep Suarez for another year and still get a very good price for him with two years left on his contract at that stage.

Suarez has made his desire to play in the Champions League a priority and Arsenal will more than likely offer him that opportunity this season. Liverpool claim that they won't sell Suarez to a rival but it's not so easy to see them in the same bracket as Arsenal at the moment. Liverpool have a fantastic past but they are currently suffering for some disastrous spending when Kenny Dalglish was their manager. Arsenal may not be where they were a few years ago either but their chances of being genuine contenders are an awful lot better than Liverpool's.

My biggest worry at this point is that Arsenal won't get their man and have no back up option if they don't. So many current Arsenal players have come out on the tour of Asia and said that the club need to strengthen to move on to the next level and it's blatantly obvious that they need to. Most of the deadwood has been moved on and only a few unneeded players remain at the club which means it's time for the new signings to start arriving.

There's only three weeks to the start of the season and still Arsenal have not spent one red cent on a new player with only Yaya Sanogo arriving on a free transfer. Some of the younger players have looked good on the Asian tour but the team needs the finished article added to it right now.

Finally for today one of the papers has claimed Cesc Fabregas has told friends in England he wants to join Manchester United. I cannot believe that Cesc would ever consider playing for another English club besides Arsenal and Arsenal would surely step in if Cesc became available. I will completely lose my belief in mankind if Cesc was to choose United over Arsenal given the choice.

I believed him when he said he would have spent his entire career at Arsenal if Barcelona had not come in for him and that he is an Arsenal fan. I know how modern footballers are but I still think Cesc is different and he took a pay cut to move from Arsenal to Barcelona. My belief in him might be born from my blog originally being called "Cesc Is God" when it started out and his departure from Arsenal was a huge blow to me. 

I said I would never place my faith in a footballer again and I won't but Cesc returning to Arsenal might just restore some belief. If he were to go to United though I just don't know how it would effect me, but it wouldn't be good.

If you haven't done so already why not join my fantasy league for the new season with the code 23040-7359 after you have set up your team. Those who were in it last season will automatically be in again but there's room for loads more teams. There's €50 from my pocket for the winner which may increase if I can get some sponsorship or if everybody keeps clicking those ads on my blog. If you do join up feel free to tell me on Twitter (@JamrockRover) or in the forum on the fantasy site so I can get to know who I'll to pay the money to and good luck.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Potential Striker Options Seem Limited To Luis Suarez

Arsenal have being actively pursuing a new striker this summer to no avail so far. At first it looked like Gonzalo Higuain was the player they were most interested in, but they baulked at the asking price from Real Madrid. The latest news would seem to indicate Higuain has passed a medical at Napoli and will not be joining Arsenal.

Arsenal have concentrated their efforts on want away Liverpool striker Luis Suarez instead and seem intent on pursuing him until they get him. All the papers are currently reporting that Arsenal have offered £1 over £40 million which has meant the player has been given permission to talk to them. Despite being allowed to talk to Suarez the Arsenal offer seems to be well below what Liverpool are looking for and they will have to increase their offer. 

It's hard to know what price Liverpool will sell for as their official line is the player is not for sale. It's a complicated situation but with three years left on his contract there is no hurry for them to sell unless Suarez makes his position at the club untenable. It's a situation Arsenal have found themselves in far too often in recent seasons and the outcome has always favoured the player.

I have my doubts about Arsenal's willingness to pay a fee that will probably reach £50 million and also about Suarez's desire to join Arsenal. He has made no secret of his admiration for Real Madrid and I can't help thinking that's where he would really like to see himself playing next season. Arsenal are currently making all the running in the deal, but they could be just paving the way for Madrid to step in.

Suarez has done all he can to get a move from Liverpool starting with taking a bite out of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. In retrospect that bite looks like it might have been a premeditated move on his part in attempt to get a move from the club. The 10 game ban he got means he will miss the first six games of the new season no matter what club he is playing for.

He has so much previous as well that it's a huge risk for Arsenal or any club to buy him. Besides the Ivanovic incident he received a large ban for his racial abuse of Patrice Evra and Ivanovic wasn't the first player he sank his teeth into. He's a loose cannon and who's to say he won't go off the rails accidentally or even on purpose again. 

If Arsenal really do intend spending £70 million this summer on new players then they won't have too much left after spending £50 plus on Suarez. The need for other players besides a striker is pretty obvious but there won't be much left in the kitty to get those players. If the sales of Gervinho and Nicklas Bendtner go ahead it might add another £10 million to the kitty, but that still might not be enough.

It's hard to believe that Arsenal didn't make a big mistake when Ivan Gazidas told all who would listen to him that Arsenal had plenty of money to spend this summer. A move like that only lets other clubs know Arsenal can pay big fees and pushes up the price of any players they show an interest in. That money is burning a hole in their pockets right now as potential targets continue to make their way to other clubs.

There's a train of thought that Liverpool will be in no hurry to sell as Suarez is banned and won't be playing a league game before October. If they are to have any chance of replacing him they surely need to sell him as soon as possible so they can use the money to strengthen their team. If they leave it too late they could leave themselves very short in the striking department when the transfer window closes.

I would really prefer it if Arsenal didn't sign Suarez but they need a top class striker and he seems to be the one they want. As a player he's very good and a top class goalscorer too but the risks he brings with him are huge and he is a proven racist. Arsenal have a very diverse fan base and I don't know what signal siging a proven racist would send out to that fan base.

As I've said before though I will support anyone in an Arsenal shirt unless they do something undeserving of that support. If Arsenal send out the statement of intent that spending over £50 million on Suarez would do it could just be the dawning of a new era at the club. Maybe it will show that the purse strings have finally been loosened after the huge costs of paying for the new stadium and Arsenal are ready to be contenders again.

It certainly makes for an interesting time at the moment and although I think the majority of Arsenal fans are still against the signing of Suarez the number in favour of him is growing. After all the years of shopping in the bargain basement maybe some fans want to see the club splash out in the designer shops and buy some real quality regardless of the past of that quality..

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Should Arsenal Pursue An Interest In Luis Suarez

If the ever so reliable media are to be believed Arsenal have made a bid for want away Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Judging by the reaction of Arsenal fans on Twitter last night it's not a bid that has impressed those fans. Suarez is a player who courts controversy and is rarely out of the headlines for the wrong reasons.

There is no doubting his ability but it would be a brave move for Arsenal to sign a player who has been found guilty of racially abusing an opponent in the recent past. Added to that he still has six games of a 10 game ban to serve for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic towards the end of last season. It wasn't the first time he has bitten an opponent either and who knows when or how he will next lose the plot on the football pitch. 

Suarez has also gained a reputation for diving and whether it's deserved or not he's certainly a marked man when it comes to referees. He is also very fond of handling the ball to gain an advantage and there are few players on the game who are considered to be as much of a cheat as he is. Arsenal have had their fair share of flawed players in the past, but I would be surprised if Arsene Wenger would sign a player with so many problems and so much controversy around him.

Arsenal have money to spend this summer and are desperate to land a top quality striker. They gave apparently been pursuing Gonzalo Higuain of Real Madrid for a while now, but if that deal doesn't materialise they need a back up plan. Whether Suarez is that back up plan or not is another matter entirely and I'm not sure he is. 

There's always the possibility that it's merely brinksmanship on Arsenal's part to force Madrid's hand in the Higuain deal. Maybe Madrid will think twice about holding out for more money for Higuain if they think Arsenal have their sights set on another genuine target. Madrid have spent a lot of money already this summer and they will need to bring some money in. 

As a fan I want to see quality players sign for Arsenal and I will support those players if and when they do sign. I would much prefer to see the club sign Higuain over Suarez but the bottom line is they are both top class goal scorers and either player would improve the Arsenal team. There's a lot of work to be done to make the current Arsenal squad truly competitive at the top and it needs to start very soon.

I think it would take an awful lot more than the reported £30 million offer for Suarez to get Liverpool to part with their star player, but he has declared his desire to play elsewhere. It won't be easy for them to keep him or get his true market value with other clubs knowing he wants out. He also wants out of the Premier League though as he feels the English media have persecuted him although his troubles are all of his own making.

The Higuain deal is still an awful lot more likely in my opinion but the longer it drags out the more the fans will feel it's not going to happen. I hope Higuain does sign for Arsenal and I wouldn't be surprised to see Suarez end up with Madrid too. It certainly makes the days a little more interesting as the wait for the new season continues.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.