It is safe to say that since Robin van Persie made the controversial move to Old Trafford in 2012, Arsenal have lacked the quality of a world-class striker. While the Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has signed quality players like Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, these are unfortunately not the kind of players that can lead a team to the title like the Dutchman could.
Also, Wenger has made his fair share of excuses as to why he has failed to bring in replacements. After exhausting the excuse about financial constraints at the club, the Frenchman started blaming a lack of world-class quality in the transfer market as the reason why a world-class striker was not brought into the club.
But when you look at the transfer market today, you would have to think that excuse is invalid as well. There are world-class strikers like Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette, Diego Costa, Andrea Belotti, Alvaro Morata, Mateo Kovacic and Romelu Lukaku all available, although the latter looks to have joined Chelsea. Mind you, these are all players who can lead the line and guarantee at least 25 goals every campaign.
Moreover, I do not see a lack of Champions League football as a stumbling block in signing world-class players. Over the years, the likes of Mnchester United, Spurs and Chelsea have signed top-quality players despite not playing in Europe’s elite competition. In addition, Arsenal can afford to pay the big wages as well.
So with that being said, I believe that Arsene Wenger has absolutely no excuses this summer. We all know that the funds are available and there are world-class strikers available in the market as well. With the transfer of Sead Kolasinac being a Bosman, Arsene Wenger is yet to spend a penny so far this summer. One can only hope that the veteran manager stops making excuses and brings in a world-class hitman to the Emirates.
Alexandre Lacazette seems to me just a few upgrades to Theo Walcott, nothing special. Take away all those penalties he gets to take and deduct 10 more goals as it is more difficult to score in Premier League. Just another Walcott, may be a better finisher. No physical strength, no aerial threats. He may not be what is needed to improve our strength.
He’s not just a better finisher. He is a deadly finisher. Highly efficient lethal goal scorer.
Has plenty of pace
Long shots/short shots
Great link ups
He is an excellent striker
Calm down Lad ?? It’s only Lacazette ? ? your leaving wet patches as if it were Messi & Ronaldo ??
LAD???.ARSENAL_GIRL????????.
She is Lass and He is Lad definitely. But I guess @Fatboy deliberately shortened LADY to LAD.
Very Smart ? But I’m afraid you guessed wrong! ?
For me, Lacazette is just a short, quick and skillful goalscorer with good finishing, like what you said, a big upgrade to Walcott. Without playmaking ability and vision like Messi, Neymar and Pedro, he could struggle in Arsenal as a lone striker, due to his stature.
Lacazette could be successful if Arsenal plays like Atletico Madrid and Leicester City, but I think we will still see the old slow tempo system in the upcoming season.
Regarding the rest of the “worldclass strikers” in the article:
– Diego Costa : A troublemaker that could ruin Arsenal player’s teamwork.
– Andrea Belotti : Could be one season wonder like Federico Macheda, but he is worth to try if Arsenal has large fund to buy him.
– Alvaro Morata : Has never scored more than twenty league goals, except in Real Madrid B. But he could be worth to gamble on.
– Mateo Kovacic : Is a midfielder. Unless Wenger is crazy enough to convert a short deep playing midfielder into a striker, like what Van Gaal did to Fellaini.
– Romelu Lukaku : In my opinion, he is a quicker Benteke. Could help in set-pieces.
– Kylian Mbappe : Has similar height and build like Lacaztte and Walcott. He could also struggle in Arsenal as a lone striker, due to his stature. Unless suddenly Arsenal plays like Barcelona.
I dont think Wenger is looking for a lone striker…he will probably settle with Giroud/Welbeck uptop but a scoring forward like sanchez so the link to Mbappe or Lacazette makes sense then…they are best played when they have support…I’m wary about Lacazette…he is not really a striker but not a winger either…anyone else concerned that even Deschamps does not play him in the national team and no one seems to want to sign him besides Arsenal if you believe the rumours! Mbappe though…looks powerful and quick enough to be a problem…a bit raw but with wenger…he can easily polish him to be a fearsome striker indeed! I like the Kovacic link thoough…to replace the loss of Cazorla! if Wenger wants to suprise people…go for Aubameyang!
Nothing like Walcott at all, whether you like Lacazette or not the moment he said he’s a Walcott should’ve told you the man doesn’t know how to compare a player. I’d liken him more to Lukaku, he hasn’t got the brute strength, but Lacazette is not frail either. There are plenty of Tott supporters in here today too, so don’t let them try and bum out your summer, we’re above any little pettiness from a crass FC.
” Alexandre Lacazette, Andrea Belotti, Alvaro Morata, Mateo Kovacic and Romelu Lukaku are world class” You are a joke mate loooool
Quality strikers have been available every season since RVP left, but Wenger prefers to stay loyal to his players…even if they’re rubbish. Similar story with another neglected area of our team, the DM position.
This transfer window will be mismanaged, just like every other one, and I cannot wait to hear the excuses. I think the latest excuse will be Brexit haha! Although my favourite excuse is “there’s nothing on the market”, yet EVERY OTHER CLUB manages to find players!
Well what do you expect when all the other managers are shopping in Harrods while Wenger is looking for bargains in a Sunday car boot sale lol.
The problem is the he is the enemy of his own words, his lies are so predictable (just like Trump). No class players in the market while all the rest of the rivals find class players and use them to win trophies.. he would come back with Sanogo and say he is top top player.. we’ll never progress with this old man, he’s just collecting his fat pension now, we just don’t realize it
Alexis Sanchez was arguably the best striker in the league and definitely world class last season.
So unless he leaves, it really isn’t our priority.
The priority should be to strengthen the midfield defensively and the defense. Unfortunately we didn’t get a new manager, who could do it by organizing it better. We can of course hope new players will do it.
At the rate our players are showing no fighting spirit on the pitch, it may be a matter of time Alexis Sanchez leaves.
We can feel it when we watch the match. Alexis Sanchez surely feels more when he is on the pitch.
I think he has the right to ask AW to sign better players.
YAWN…………………………..Jack sh*t is going to happen.It’s just going to be the same old ballacks.
It’s funny how some years back people were debating over here why Giroud should remain our main striker.Today they are saying that he’s only good enough a super sub.It’s shameful the same thing was done Szczesny when people thought Ospina was better than him.I mean why should a player start over another player just because he has a cool head over the other but of lower quality.We make things look like rocket science in our club.The cf’s were never good enough it was just some who blindly believed they were.The funny thing will be when our so called world class striker we are going to sign is out with a long injury then who shall we rely on?
I think when you talk about OG, it was either him or no one or Sanogo.. don’t think people wanted him to be no.1 when the transfer window was still open, people had no choice after Wenger says we have enough quality to win the league, and OG is the only main striker, and the transfer window closes with no panic buys
Keep dreaming, we aren’t signing any one of these world class strikers
If AW is really wise, he better don’t come back with lame excuses and no new players, strikers to be exact. We are just too familiar with his old lines. Either he come back with new players or he jolly well don’t show up at all.
Giroud proves to be stumbling block but declaring he can lead the line when obviously he can’t.
Something has to change. majority of the players don’t have the will to win.
Winning is not everything but the will to win is.
Chelsea are now said to be inquiring about Lacazette, just incase their Lukaku bid falls through lol.
Anyways, I’m still expecting big things from Wenger but if we haven’t made any major signings by the time the transfer window officially opens,(July 1st) then I will give up with deluding myself into thinking that this window will be different from any of the rest.
This is Wenger for you people, always scouting for his dear friends who have no qualities of being stingy, Wenger puts the name, they just bring enough money to buy, and there goes the name in the I-nearly-signed him list of le prof. Same old sh*t, different season
The Daily Mail are reporting that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is growing increasingly frustrated at Arsenal’s lack of activity over his new contract – opening up the prospect of him leaving this summer.
The England international is eager to resolve his future and was expecting Arsenal to begin talks quickly — however the Gunners are yet to formally offer him a new one.
?? Well,Well,Well… Would you look at ??. I hope the Ox tells Wenger to go & do one, when he eventually comes knocking.
What a laugher! Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette, Diego Costa, Andrea Belotti, Alvaro Morata, Mateo Kovacic and Romelu Lukaku being world class strikers. The only one that comes close may be Costa. Everyone else haven’t done anything to even come close to earning consideration. Typical comments from a noob and Giroud hater that knows nothing thinking the grass will be greener with someone else leading the line. What have these others really accomplish to warrant such consideration? Mbappe has lots of potential but so did Martial and look where he is at — squad player for MANU. None of the so called world class strikers with exception of Costa have the mental fortitude to lead a top club like the Arsenal.
i would prefer belotti. guy a predator like ronaldo, he only has eyes for goals. we already have sanchez who can create a goal out of nothing, ozil as a creative genius. what is needed is one big tough guy with devastating finishing. enough with the hold up play giroud, link up perez and endless headless running welbeck. we need a ruthless finisher. belotti= 30 goal/season.
you can change leagues and affect the passing, pace, link up and strength of a player but you cant change his finishing and belotti is ice-cold.
Belotti will either get a huge move to a CL team or else my guess is he’ll end up at Juventus. Italians are like the English in that way, they rarely leave for another league, esp the best players.
I guess it comes down to the definition of WC striker. For me, there are not too many of those to go around and Lacazette is not one of them. He is probably a very very good striker but to be world class IMO you need to have been top scorer in at least one of the 4 big competitions in Europe for more than 1 year. (PL, La Liga, Series A, Bundesliga). Lacazette has to more to a club in one of the top 4 competitions and proves he is world class.
TBH I don’t think we have the ability to attract a world-class striker as I define them. We are not willing to pay top wages (otherwise why not pay Sanchez), we can not offer CL football or major trophies and we are unlikely to pay the needed transfer price. I think strikers like Lewandowski, Higuain, Aubamayang are not too far of from being WC and I don’t see them joining us and some are getting on in age too much to be considered good investments.
Aguero doesn’t seem miles away from WC either and I believe we should try to land him if City really wants Sanchez.
Lacazette is an unknown but still worth the risk IMO but not in the same league (yet) as some of the others mentioned.
But to manage my own expectations, I am going with the view that nothing has changed at Arsenal which will translate into no world class player (striker) being signed.
Remember guys,Arsenal has a second rate European participation next season. How will they attract WC players?Answer…give them best terms as enticement. My advice to Le prof :Use all your warchest with two world class players – a proven striker and a super midfielder plus retain Sanchez and Ozil.
I have seen people haggling over which striker is world class. My understanding is that there is no standard definition of world class player. It is all just fanciful imagination of the different individuals. Perhaps the few who could fit world class would be Ronaldo, Messi, Thierry Henry, Zidane, Ronaldo of Brazil and maybe Neymar. Is Lacazatte a good striker? I think he is going by his stats. Do we need him? I believe we do. Does it matter whether he is world class or not? Of course it doesn’t at all.
On the issue of signings, I think Wenger and his colleagues are in negotiations to sign some players but of course negotiations take a bit of time. Besides the transfer window hasn’t officially opened. It opens on 1st July. Why then should anyone start panicking now. If I am given a choice between Mbappe and Lacazatte I will go with the latter because he has been consistent over a few years. Mbappe is still a very big gamble because we don’t know how he will perform next season. Examples of Man U forward Martial, Mario Balotelli and Jack Wilshere are a few examples why we should allow players to mature before praising them. Lacazatte has been observed over a period of time and he can, therefore, be relied on to deliver
Arsenal should be after Lukaku……..a combination of Giroud and Walcott…….and I think Wenger can make a better player…….