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Would these 3 European strikers transform Arsenal’s title aspirations next season?
Much has been made of Arsenal’s annual choking with regards to their pursuit of what would be their first Premier League title since “the invincibles” in 2004. The brunt of the blame has fallen at the feet of long-serving manager Arsene Wenger – quite rightly in some regard. The fans have become slowly frustrated with what seems to merely be a never ending cycle of mediocrity, you can not blame the fans for lashing out when they pay some of the highest prices in world football. This goes hand-in-hand with Wenger being in the top 5 best paid managers around the globe.
One area that definitely needs improving is the amount of centre forward options at the club. Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck are the only recognised out-and-out strikers at the club, if you have ambitions of a title tilt then they are simply not good enough to make you a serious contender let alone a title winner.
Olivier Giroud is a player that doesn’t seem a season without criticism being levelled at him, however this season could be the first time it is seriously justifiable. The French striker has played 29 league games finding the net only 12 times. This is nowhere near good enough for a title contender and is one of the reasons that once again Arsenal have fallen away. The former Montpellier target man has not scored in his last 14 games which is more of a concern than his goal tally. He has only once hit 20+ league goals in a top flight league which was back in Ligue 1 before his big move to the Emirates (21 goals in 36 games in the 2011-12). You could therefore argue he is yet to do it in what is perceived as the “big leagues”. The 6ft 4in striker is now 29 and looks to have his best days behind him, but Giroud can be a good option and for many has always been seen as a second choice striker.
Danny Welbeck has never been prolific even at his time at Manchester United. He; like Giroud, is more of back-up option than someone who is going to fire you to a title. What Welbeck lacks in the way of ruthlessness he make up in desire, but that alone is not good enough at the highest level. Welbeck’s stats tell the story and it is a story of inconsistency. The 25-year-old attacker had his best season at Old Trafford where he scored nine league goals in 25 games back in 2013-14, next season will be huge for Welbeck who will feel he has a lot to prove and most of that is dependent on whether he can stay free of injury.
So, with additions clearly required in this department, who are the best options that Arsenal should be looking at? We have narrowed down the list to the best three, which you can find by clicking onto the next page. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.