Recent reports suggest that current Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain is about to join Arsenal in a £25m deal and that the Argentine will be offered £130,000 per week. If this is true, and the transfer is completed shortly, then does this mean that the extremely tight purse strings at the Emirates are about to be loosened during the coming months or is this going to be the only expensive acquisition made by Arsene Wenger in preparation for the new season?
Fans have criticised Arsenal’s transfer policy over the past few years, with the apparent exodus of their finest players to rival clubs being of particular concern. Whilst they have attempted to replace them, they seem to have done so with slightly inferior quality individuals. Could this apparent willingness to spend big on established stars signal their intent to lift the Premiership trophy that they last won nine years ago?
Replacing Robin van Persie was never going to be an easy feat but many Arsenal fans would have liked to have seen an established striker purchased when the aforementioned left to join Manchester United last summer. Instead, the Gunners decided on Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, neither with Premier League experience but both respected as decent players capable of putting the ball in the back of the net. Giroud didn’t do too badly for his first season in London and scored 11 goals in 34 league games, whilst Lukas Podolski registered the same amount in 33 games. However, considering that van Persie finished the season as top scorer with 26 strikes, it was clear that he was missed and had that extra bit of quality that his replacements didn’t have.
Another mystery regarding the signing of the two strikers was that Theo Walcott was already claiming that he wanted to play as a centre forward. Wenger had often played him as an attacking winger, to utilise his pace and to accommodate van Persie in the team, although the speed demon wasn’t too fond of this role. Once his main rival for the position was gone, he must have believed that he would be given the chance to shine, yet he never appeared to receive the full backing of his manager to play regularly as a number 9. Ironically he was Arsenal’s top scorer in 2012/2013, with 14 goals in 32 matches, so it will be very interesting to see how he reacts if Higuain does arrive.
Nicklas Bendtner is in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt about a possible move to Germany and the Dane has been told that he is surplus to requirements after time spent on loan at Juventus last season. He never really fulfilled the potential that he showed as a youngster, when he signed for the club at the age of 16, and a scoring record of a goal almost every five matches is not good enough at this level of competition.
Ashley Williams has been linked with Arsenal for some time and the Swansea defender is seen as a solid character to marshall the defence alongside Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertesacker. The Welsh club have put a £10m price tag on their captain though, which appears to be putting off a serious offer for the moment.
Julio Cesar of QPR has been rumoured to be of interest to Wenger, who is keen to add some competition for the goalkeeping spot, and perhaps the winning mentality that the ex-Inter Milan and current Brazil No 1 has could be beneficial to his teammates.
The midfield looks fairly strong already with Cazorla, Arteta, Wilshere and Ramsey so it would seem surprising if they decide to add to that, but at both ends of the pitch they will probably look to reinforce and strengthen if they have any hope of challenging Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea. A world class striker like Higuain would be perfect, and if they can add a couple of defenders and a goalkeeper then they could genuinely be in with a chance.
Wenger seems to have worked out that if you aren’t willing to invest then you can only hope to buy players that aren’t yet world class, and if that is the case then you are not realistically going to aim for the title. I would love to see Arsenal back at the top of their game fighting with the Manchester clubs, but it is going to require more than one player to achieve this.
Arsenals odds of lifting the 2013/14 Premier League trophy have dropped from their 2012/13 odds slightly. This year they are fourth favourite to win with odds of 12/1 where as last year they were also fourth favourite, but with slightly better odds of 11/1. Perhaps this has been an impact of the likes of Jose Mourinho returning, or the spending power of Man City rather than the actions of Arsenal themselves. If you’re hesitant on placing a bet on Arsenal to claim the title, then why not put your money else where. There is plenty of other football gambling options. For example, at casinos you might find football themed slots games or scratch cards, dependant on the online casino you choose of course, the most popular one seem to be Shoot and Game On. For a great selection of games, give Jackpot Capital a go.