Following reports of Arsene Wenger’s intention to sell Arsenal’s fringe strikers like Joel Campbell, Yaya Sanogo and Lukas Podolski, there have been a lot of rumours popping up linking Arsenal with top-quality wide forwards across Europe. The Metro is reporting today that Arsenal will be looking to move for Barcelona’s Pedro Rodriguez, who Wenger has been watching for quite some time now.
The Spanish international, who has seen very limited first-team opportunities since the arrival of Luis Suarez, has made no secret of his discontent, hinting several times that he will be leaving the Camp Nou at the end of the season. The report also goes on to claim that the Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is willing to listen to offers of around £20 million for the versatile winger.
In addition to the fact that Arsenal are losing two wide forwards in Campbell and Podolski, there is also a very real possibility that Theo Walcott may leave as well, so I believe that there is good amount of credibility to this story. Since both the club and the player seem to have a mutual agreement in regards to the player’s future, it will certainly be a very straight-forward deal to bring him to the Emirates.
Considering the immense success of Alexis Sanchez in the Premier League, I believe that Pedro will also be a hit should he move to the Emirates. The 27-year-old Spaniard has an arsenal of very effective wing-play which includes great pace on the ball, pinpoint crossing, good physical strength and lethal finishing as well. Needless to mention, he will find it very easy to adapt to Arsenal’s passing game as he will be making the move from Barcelona.
For me, Pedro Rodriguez will be a perfect fit for Arsenal and I’d love to see him at the Emirates. However, if Theo decides to leave, we will need more reinforcements out wide. Looking at the market now, Dortmund’s Marco Reus and Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling both seem to be looking for a new club and I do believe Wenger should pounce if the situation requires him to.
Anurag