Olivier Giroud has had a good season up front for Arsenal, scoring 17 goals in all competitions and bagging himself three assists, but for Arsenal to take the next step and be on par with Chelsea, Manager Arsene Wenger is going to have to put his hand in his pocket and sign someone who can score 25-30 goals every season.
Thierry Henry was quoted as saying: “I think Giroud is doing extremely well. But can you win the league with him? I wouldn’t think so.
“He does a job, and he does it ever so well, but you can’t win the league.”
Are these five good enough to win the league with Arsenal, Thierry?
1. Alexandre Lacazette
The French striker has been a sensation up front for Lyon this season, scoring 31 goals in all competitions and achieving six assists. His goals have helped Lyon to second in the league and at a team like Arsenal, the 23 year-old would thrive off the world class service provided to him by the creative talents in midfield.
Lacazette is similar to Thierry Henry in his prime; French, lightning quick, good on the ball, skillful and able to score goals for fun. The Lyon forward is a man with a lot of interested parties after him and his current contract lasts until the 2017/18 season, meaning prizing him away from his Lyon would not only be costly but difficult.
Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas is keen to hold on to his prized possession, but admitted: “Nothing is ever sure in football but we will do everything to keep Alexandre with us.
“€50m would not be enough, that is not the price. I have never spoken with [the PSG president] Nasser al-Khelaifi about Alexandre Lacazette and I do not get the feeling, when I listen to Laurent Blanc, that he wants to sign him.”
2. Christian Benteke
Despite an inconsistent couple of seasons with which injuries have caused the Belgian striker troubles, Benteke is a natural goalscorer, provides a pacey and strong option and has proven himself very capable in the Premier League.
In his first season, the 24 year-old scored 19 goals and immediately became one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League, but his second season was marred by injury problems as well as ‘second season syndrome’ and saw him feature 24 times in all competitions all season, scoring only 10 goals.
Benteke has scored 15 goals in 28 appearances this season for Aston Villa, with his form since the turn of the year a particular highlight of the 2014/15 season, proving to himself and many others that he is still a fantastic striker with great ability in the six-yard box.
The Belgian striker would be a costly option, likely to be at least £20-25m and whether or not he can stay fit and consistent for Arsenal would be a risk Arsene Wenger has to take if he opts for the Belgian Benteke.
3. Jackson Martinez
A forward who has been much rumoured with a move to Arsenal over the last few seasons, Jackson Martinez remains a very viable option for Wenger to choose. The Porto forward has been a sensation since signing for the Portuguese club in 2012 and has enhanced that reputation this season by scoring no less than 28 goals in all competitions.
While Martinez’s stature, ability and goalscoring form would suit the Premier League without doubt, he is 28 years-old, has a contract with current side Porto until 2017, meaning he would be very costly and has likely peaked at this point in his career, so whether or not Wenger is willing to spend quite a bit of cash on Martinez or not is another risk he may have to take.
Wenger has a habit of selling players as they reach a certain age of around 29-30, but would the boss be willing to pay a lot of money for a striker who will without doubt offer a great couple of seasons for the Gunners?
4. Edinson Cavani
Cavani is an option a little less likely than the previous three, but he is a striker who has been mentioned a lot because of his lack of starts at current club PSG. Despite signing for a whopping £55m, the Uruguayan striker has found it difficult to justify the price tag, with inconsistent performances a feature of his spell so far at the French champions.
At 28 years-old, Cavani is similar to Martinez in the sense that he will have played his best football already before signing for Arsenal and it seems less than likely that Wenger would opt for the costly forward. Cavani has scored 28 goals in all competitions this season, a great number for a forward who at times has had to play out of position because of the imperious Zlatan Ibrahmovic.
While Cavani may not be the man Wenger opts for, he is a proven goal scorer at both club and international level who would likely thrive in the Premier League.
5. Karim Benzema
The fifth striker who could join Arsenal this summer is Real Madrid star Karim Benzema. The Frenchman joined Madrid for £30m in the summer of 2009 after impressing through the youth ranks to the first team for Lyon and has continued a fantastic goal scoring record throughout his six years with the UEFA Champions League semi-finalists.
Real Madrid and in particular club president Florentino Perez are known for their rash transfer policy, commanding the two most expensive transfer fees in history while shipping out the likes of Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil for a combined fee of over £100m.
With Benzema providing goals, assists and great link up play with his Real Madrid teammates, he is a younger, faster and better version of international striking partner and current Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud. Wenger has been a fan of the French forward since his Lyon days and it’s believed that the Arsenal boss is ‘desperate’ to sign the Real Madrid star.
Other options that may be less likely:
– Danny Ings is available on a free, but has had only one senior season in the Premier League and may not be the ‘world class signing’ Arsenal need to lift them to the top.
– Javier Hernandez is a very good goalscorer who has scored goals at the highest level for his country (Mexico), Manchester United and Real Madrid (on loan), and Hernandez will be returning to his parent club United this summer an unwanted man. Louis Van Gaal has no problem selling strikers to Arsenal as we saw last summer.
– Carlos Bacca is a good forward who provides much more to Sevilla than just goals, he is a good number 10, is quick and very underrated outside of Spain. The Colombian forward is on the radar of Spurs and Liverpool, but has claimed he is happy in Spain.
– Fernando Llorente was reportedly interested in a move to Arsenal before signing for Juventus, with Arsene Wenger not interested in signing a striker similar to Giroud, but the Spanish forward has not had an enjoyable spell so far with the Turin club and may be looking to command a move away.
– Saido Berahino is reportedly looking for a move away from the Hawthorns, and his current deal ends in 2016. He is a young English striker who has scored 14 goals this season in the Premier League. Whether Arsene Wenger believes he is a man worth signing is something we will find out this summer.
Who do you think Arsenal should sign up front this summer? Do you agree with Thierry Henry that the Gunners cannot win the league with Giroud up top? Let us know in the comments section below!
