Some Arsenal fans like him, some can’t stand his arrogance but right now it is almost certain that Arsenal’s talented but under performing striker, Nicklas Bendtner will ultimately leave the club in search of regular playing time, something he will not receive at the Gunners.
That leaves the Gunners with just two strikers in their team, the injury prone but fantastic Robin van Persie and the unpredictable, Marouane Chamakh. In such a situation it is imperative that Arsene Wenger signs another proven and established striker in order to ensure that next season the squad has the required fire power to challenge for trophies on all trophies.
This is the very same mistake that Wenger made back in 2009 when the Gunners sold Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City. Instead of replacing him with another proven striker Wenger persisted with the trio of Eduardo, van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner. It was a poor choice considering that van Persie’s injury problems and since Eduardo was just returning from his horror injury. This combined with Bendtner’s inexperience meant that an injury to van Persie could seriously expose the Gunners’ lack of depth.
And that exactly happened as the Gunners struggled during the absence of van Persie and it was left to Bendtner to shoulder the responsibility of scoring goals, something he valiantly tried.
Wenger has shown his reluctance to spend in recent times, banking on unproven youngsters, something that has proved costly this season and in the ones that preceded them.
But the failures of this season has prompted Wenger to announce that the fans can brace themselves for an active summer.
So with the Gunners in need of signing a forward, the rumor mill has churned up several names for the Gunners to target. Due to Wenger’s statements that indicated that Arsenal will spend the right money on the right players.
Three names that have been heavily linked to Arsenal are Karim Benzema, Radamel Falcao and Kevin Gameiro.
One thing common to these three players are that all are target men and will play as the front man for the Gunners if they do join the club. One thing was clear this season irrespective of the Bendtner transfer, the Gunners will have to play another striker in their team and that almost meant that they will have to sign another proven established striker who could assure them around twenty goals a season.
While van Persie has been fantastic, Arsenal have shown that they could perform better in a two striker formation with van Persie playing in a deeper and freer role, something that can utilize his strengths to the maximum and optimize his effectiveness. This can be done by signing another striker to partner him, a player who plays higher up the pitch and a player who can be the target man for the Arsenal full backs and wingers to cross to.
All three of the players have scored twenty plus goals this season. The three of them play in different leagues with Benzema plying his trade in Spain, Falcao playing for Porto in Portugal and Gameiro for Lorient in France.
All these players have been widely linked with Arsenal and signing them would be an upgrade for the Gunners who will have a much stronger strike force next season.
But it will be interesting to see which striker the Gunners ultimately look to pursue. Wenger might have stated his interest and admiration in Benzema, but with the Gunners being linked with the other two players as well, one wonders which player the Gunners should choose.
All three players have their positives and sure as well their negatives as well. But which will be the best option for the Gunners? Which player can help them on their path to achieve success? Which problem could end the Gunners’ striking problem?
Karim Benzema
Until the injury to Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema was looking like an expensive mistake by Real Madrid as he struggled and managed just nine goals in his first season for the Spanish giants. He looked short of confidence and failed to show ruthlessness in front of goal, the qualities that made Real Madrid sign the red hot striker from Lyon. His transfer away from the Bernabeu looked inevitable and that too at a throw away fee considering his poor form.
But since the injury to Higuain, he has been given an extended run in the team and has slowly started to impress. Scoring 26 goals this season, he helped mitigate the absence of Higuain to a great extent and that has made him an exciting prospect once again.
Recently Wenger expressed his interest in signing the Frenchman and there is no doubt that Wenger should look to sign him. He is talented and young and yet has proven himself in France and is slowly establishing himself in Spain too.
His fee might be a bit usual than the typical Wenger signing but it is signings like these that build a strong squad. His form has been good and despite that he is highly unlikely to nail down a starting spot This stems from the fact that Mourinho prefers Higuain to Benzema and with another striker to be brought into the club, Benzema will be once again definitely relegated to the bench with playing time at a minimum.
A player like him would not like making substitute appearances and would love a starting role and Arsenal will give him that. That combined with the fact that he is French, something which a large number of Arsenal players are, he could be tempted into a move to the Emirates.
He is a strong, young forward he who has 20 plus goals in three of his last four seasons and could be the perfect foil for van Persie.
But off late he has been portrayed as the savior of the Gunners and several Arsenal fans have been urging Wenger to turn his interest into a transfer and while he will no doubt be a strong addition to the squad, there are still some doubts about him.
He struggled in his first season for Real Madrid and there could be the same problems adjusting in the Premier League. He will have to deliver the goods for Arsenal in his first season itself considering the position the Gunners are in right now.
There are some doubts over how he could adjust into the league but that argument can apply to any player and on the whole he looks a safe bet who once he gets going will be hard to contain, a perfect match for the sizzling van Persie.
Radamel Falcao
Porto’s in form striker, Falcao who scored the winner in the Europa League final is an in demand striker among some top European teams. His superb form over the last two years has attracted several suitors and the Gunners are one team who have expressed interest in snapping up the Colombian.
Reports recently emerged that Arsenal had tabled a bid for the striker and if it is true, then signing him would be the perfect message for Arsenal’s rivals. He has scored 73 goals in just 85 matches for Porto which is great statistics.
He along with Hulk, have formed one of Europe’s most consistent duos as they have led Porto to great success and the two have been mainstays in the Porto attack, guiding from the front in impeccable fashion. He scored a mind boggling 18 goals in the Europa League to finish the top scorer.
His goal scoring spree means that he would be a strong addition, but one must remember that the Portugeese league is not as competitive as the EPL and Porto have been unstoppable this season and he might struggle to recapture this kind of a goalscoring spree in a more competitive and demanding league.
But signing him would be fantastic as his pace, ruthless finishing and ability to exploit defenses would add a totally new dimension to the Arsenal attack and he along with Karim Benzema to me represent two strong players that the Gunners should seriously target.
Kevin Gameiro
Out of all the three players, Gameiro is the least heard of but that doesn’t mean he is a bad player. Currently playing for Lorient, he has been a revelation this season, notching up 23 goals he finished the league as the second highest scorer.
He has been on the Arsenal radar for quite sometime and playing in France and being French, there is a solid possibility that Wenger has set his sights on the player.
While he might not be the signing that Arsenal fans want owing to the fact that Falcao and Benzema are more established, he still remains a good player to sign. He has several good qualities that can make him a hit in the league and with a smaller fee when compared to Benzema and Falcao, Wenger might just be tempted to sign him.
He is relatively injury free having missed just five games in the last two seasons, and he is currently racking up the goals in France. Despite his relatively light frame, he is a potent dribbler of the ball and is fast with the ball in his feet. Also he is comfortable moving into the wings and can even play in the hole.
His overall style is a bit similar to that of Arsenal lynch pin Robin van Persie as he likes to drop deep to receive the ball, something which he does to great effect.
But one worry his is light frame. The Gunners may need more muscle up front and they are already packed with small, nimble players in their squad and the need maybe to add a more physical player. Also his small frame means that he might struggle to adapt to the physically demanding English Premier League and he might be outmuscled by some of the league’s defenders.
Also his lack of height means that he will not be much of a target man as he relies on his pace and movement than power and strength, something that should also be thought of.
While he is not a bad player, I would leave him only as a last resort but nevertheless, he will not be too bad a signing.
Verdict
All the three players are very talented in their own way and would add something different to the Arsenal attack. Nevertheless I believe that the Gunners should sign either Benzema or Falcao with my preference going to Benzema.
The French striker has played in two competitive leagues when compared to the Portugese league and his experience in such leagues could make him a better fit at Arsenal. That combined with his age, price tag and Wenger’s vocal interest in him means that signing him would be a solid and great move for the Gunners, one that can reinvigorate their attack, which has let them down in recent weeks.
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