The news that poor Danny Welbeck has suffered cartilage damage to his left knee, just 15 games after recovering from similar damage to his right knee that kept him out of the Arsenal side for nearly a year, is an incredibly cruel blow just as he was approaching full fitness for the Euros.
The ex-Man United striker has a great record with the Three Lions, but with the emergence of Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane it is unlikely he will be sorely missed by the England squad.
But more worrying is the fact that he is unlikely, again, to be anywhere near fit for the beginning of next season.We all know what happened last summer when it seemed that Wenger deliberately put off telling us fans that Welbeck needed another operation until the day after the transfer window had firmly shut.
At the same time Wenger justified the reasons for not buying another striker because he already had three World Class strikers in Giroud, Walcott and Welbeck. He certainly won’tbe able to use that excuse this summer after Giroud went on a four month non-scoring streak, and Walcott and Welbeck only contibuted only 9 goals between them in 39 League appearances, added to the 13 that Giroud added gave usameasly return of just 22 League goals between all three “World Class” strikers. This is the real reason why Arsenal failed to take advantage this season and win the Premier League.
We all knew last summer that Wenger’s excuses were weak, but surely he can’t possibly imagine that he can do exactly the same this summer. In fact we are really going to need two strikers as Walcott must surely be allowed to move on this summer and we can keep Giroud as a backup.
Darren
Yeah… He said that, but then there was a massive saga with Benzema (Who is truly, undoubtedly world-class) that fizzled out late in the window for a deal reported close to 60mil. A lot of the rumoured targets/wanted by a lot of fans targets have failed spectacularly (Martinez, Balotelli, Falcao, Remy, Bony, Gomis) and if Wenger is to invest that heavily in the striker spot, which i think he will this window, I honestly believe he wants a sure thing and in that there are precious few.
In what universe is benzema “truly, undoubtedly world class”? People use that term way to loosely
In one where he’s in the top-10 for all-time champions league scoring record at the age of 28?? will that do?
@josh
Don’t get me wrong josh I always enjoy reading your posts since there accurate and level headed, but I have to disagree with this one. Even though that’s a decent stat you just need to watch him to see he’s not world class stats don’t tell the whole story
Wenger replace Welbeck?
Of course…but an understudy to Giroud.
Wait a minute, that’s Sanogo.
So, I don’t think Wenger’s buying.
CL record is worthless when it only consists of a handful of games throughout the year. A striker should be judged based on Cup competitions AND League performances. Suarez, Aguero and Lewandowski are what define world class, they have the skill and mentality to destroy any defence they face and are each capable of carrying any team they play for, without them their team struggles. In contrast Madrid don’t notice a difference when Bezema is injured, he’s top class but NOT world class due to his inconsistency. To be honest Benzema is just another version of Giroud but with more pace and skill, and his ego suggests him being at Arsenal won’t benefit us as we will most likely be seen as a club with low ambitions he can make money off of like DiMaria when he joined United.
60 Millions is too expensive for Benzema. Fifty is the limit, and I rather pick Lewandoski for that amount.
You also have to admit that Arsene was right 100% not to buy Martinez, Balotelli, Remy, Bony, Gomis, and also Benteke. Just look at them right now. Arsene made mistake by not signing Higuain. On Suarez saga, I didn’t think we’ve a chance whether it was 40M + 1 pound (what the hell did you think Arsene?) or it was 60 M.
My personal opinion on strikers ATM is…
1.) Suarez
2.) Lewi
3.) Aubemma
4.) Higz
5.) Benz
6.) Aguero
josh
you think wenger wants a sure thing? like Giroud??
And to add to the article as well….
Wow.. People’s hatred of Wenger just blatantly blurs vision at times…
‘We all know what happened last summer when it seemed that Wenger deliberately put off telling us fans that Welbeck needed another operation until the day after the transfer window had firmly shut.’
Open your eyes Darren!! What possible motivation could a manager have in delaying that news until after a disappointing window?? Just to add needless salt into a salty fanbase after an insanely quiet window? Why not just publicly ask other clubs to add an additional 5mil asking price onto any strikers they have we might want because we’re going to be half a season with only one!? FFS…
Coming from you? Interesting…..
How is that lacking common sense to not mention a long-term injury to a current player while trying to sign a potential replacement/cover?
Man you are sooooo right. Arsenal players NEVER get injured just ask Mr Diaby, Wilshere, Rosicky at the start of the 2015/16 season then ask the rest of the team during the season. Zhey vill tell you, ve never get injuries… Mr Wenger makes sure of that. In fact he is so sure that Arsenal NEVER get injuries that he doesnt buy players and doesnt need to modify his training methods because in the past 10 years, NO players have been out long term.
Well here’s one reason Josh: He didn’t want to spend even a coin on a proper new striker.
I just pray we get the strikers we need bcos they have been scarce since last season that’s why ManU had to gamble with Martial…
I feel for Welbeck really but there is nothing we can do than to wish him a quick recovery..
But I still think even if Welbeck is not injured, we need a better finisher that instils confidence in his teammates and the fans…
Wanna ask,how many years does Welbeck have left on his contract pls???
We need a new striker certainly,I hope Wolfsburg pull through in their interest of Giroud so we can be rid of him and his measly 13 goals,I was shocked to see that Jermaine Defoe at relegation threatened Sunderland has 15 goals which is more than Giroud while playing with worse players!
Look, I don’t care what you think but I want Giroud to stay.
He has to stay and wind down his contracts…
Its Walcott that should go….
For what its worth, we can’t win with ONLY Giroud but he can help us win..
If we buy a new striker will he play all games,will he quickly adapt????
Giroud should be there as a second choice,he is definately good enough for that while the new striker beds in..
We should get rid of both Giroud 130K and Walcott 140K,I’ll rather we take our chances with a world class striker who needs to adapt then to be stuck with this lot who’ve failed us year in year out!
Giroud is now 31, and Theo? Ten years of what? He had many many opportunities to prove his potential which was never hit the right note.
Their slot of wages can be use for new strikers.
Wenger doesnt want to buy super stars and make the team perfect even though he has all the money and backing fron the board.
Why dont he spend??
Why cant he see what the the team actualy need?
The answer is he is scared.
He knows he has to spend.
He knows what players we need.
But he is scared that he will be called a TOTAL FAILURE if he still finish top 4 with a perfect team.
THIS IS THE FACT.!!
He always keeps the team few players from being perfect.
There has to be reasonable explanation behind his suicidel decision not to buy the necesery players for the past three years, but nothing he has said or done warrants any sound explanation for our short fall in the EPL that is apart from us the fans we are to blame for not being more supportive
Bloody fans who needs them eh
He had belief in this Arsenal team basis, which was proven not good enough. It is reasonably and logically time for some changes (not only reinforcement) at this team. I’m not going to yell for Arsene’s head because it’s 100% useless now.
He was alone in his thinking that we didn’t need a WC striker, how many goal chances went begging in the last three years, we are always hugely behind in goal difference but we always have the highest attempts so what dose that say to you? I can understand making the mistake one season but three seasons…… 6 transfer windows how much time you need before the coin drops
Tas
come on , Wenger in the eyes of his AKB fanboys has again proven all of us heathens wrong and that he alone knows best, didn’t spend plays the donkey and walnut BUT got us into CL again. What more do you want… you ungrateful beasts?????
lol i love it when you call me a beast pls more dirty talk 🙂
Back in August agree refusing to sign players to bolster the squad, a much needed striker included Wenger kept saying to fans we should judge him on May….if am mot mistaken May is here now and the verdict on the gamble he took and the way our season has panned out is FAIL…..he sure owes fans some explanation but am not holding my breath and I will not be surprised if hw pulls the same stunt once more, the man is completely out of touch with reality…
Now nobody’s saying Judge him by May anymore
it’s now “give him one more year”
making fools of ourselves…..we ain’t straightforward and honests with ourselves…..we don’t know what we want!
Boy, I’m glad I’m not reach your level of desperation yet. One more year, if not change, we might stand the same.
How many seasons have you been following Arsenal? “One more year” – stop fooling yourself.
Well to be honest he didn’t let us down yet we might still pick up the “4th place trophy” yet if only we lose to Vila
Well he got us into the CL didn’t he? He didn’t promise to win the EPL though not anything else for that matter so although he lies re new players, he didn’t when it comes to trophies. ONE MORE YEAR!!!
Eh correct me if i am wrong but when he signed his new 3year contract he promised that Arsenal would win the league within 3seasons, fair enough this is his last season on that contract and he might win the title this seasom but i highly doubt it
I don’t think Wenger will buy the striker we need. He doesn’t seem to realize Giroud is not good enough. Count on an other year of Giroud slowing us down and squandering chance after chance. He will be our main man despite the fact that he doesn’t even feature in the top 10 best strikers in the PL IMO.
Wenger will spend where we don’t need it so much. To me our two main gaping holes are a WC striker and a WC CD. He will go out and buy yet again some midfield player who’s natural tendency is to want to play in the middle of the park (Ramsey, Wilshire, Santi, Ozil, Rosicky, Arteta) and try to convert him into something else just to fit him into his starting 11 resulting into a team of players capable of passing the ball but incapable of being dangerous.
Natural midfield players who like to play in the middle but have been moved around by Wenger in strange experiments:
Arteta was converted to a DM with disastrous effect.
Ramsey was converted to right wing despite Walcott being better there.
Santi was moved to DM where he was supposed to defend against much bigger players
Rosicky has been played on both the left and right wing
Ozil has been played out on the wing also to no effect
Reading the thread on this article and I noticed a lot of people naming strikers we could have gotten in past transfer windows that have gone to other club and failed, Balotelli, Falcao, Martinez, Boney etc are recurring names in all the comments, and am sat here thinking because they failed in thee clubs does not necessarily mean they would have failed if we had pulled out our fingers and hot them back then, Balotelli aside I strongly believe all of these players could have made a difference playing infront of our midfield and given the kind of attention and care Wenger gives Giroud and Walcott, adapting our play to suit them and giving them chances after chances even when its blatantly obvious they are average players so please lets not keep using that as an excuse for Wenger’s ultra careful attitude in the transfer market, they could have failed with us, or they could have been massive for us, all speculations.
he will wait for welbeck to recover and he dosen’t have to but any one.
Last year Wenger kept the Welbeck injury situation from the press as Arsenal where in negotiations buying a striker. You never want to weaken your negotiation position.
I doubt he can use the same trick this year. So we will have to pay to get a striker.
Selling Giroud whilst buying a new striker and with Welbeck injured would be plain stupid. Giroud has to stay, Walcott will be sold and with his money wages we can buy a Striker. Realistic targets are Lacazette (he is the most realistic option), Lukaku (home grown), Benzema (out of favour with Zidane).
Competition for strikers will be fierce. City will look for a replacement for Bony. Also Chelsea, Spurs and ManU need strikers.
Arsenal will also need to bring back Akpom to be our 3rd choice striker whilst Welbeck is recovering.
Seriously Lacazette would cost us maybe 25-30 mil. In his so called “off” season he still scored 21 goals in the league and had 3 assists. This has been with Fekir injured? He is only 24 years old.