Could genuine high-quality Croatian ace do a job for Arsenal by Martin
It is being claimed today that we are interested in signing Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic, according to Sport Witness, citing Corriere dello Sport.
Apparently, we tried to sign the versatile Croatian last January but could not come to an agreement with his club despite Perisic being keen on the move.
We are not the only club said to be interested, Tottenham are also considered potential suitors for the 30-year-old.
It seems that Inter are now more willing to offload the attacking midfielder/winger in order to raise funds for their own acquisitions, thus the renewed speculation over his future.
So, that is the scene set and the question for me is, can he do a job for us?
I would say yes and here is why.
I take on board that he is 31 next February and will have no sell on value and will no doubt command a high salary but do not be mistaken, he is quality, and in this day and age being over 30 is no longer the handicap it once was. Players are fitter and look after themselves far better than they have ever done and there is no reason why we could not get at least three good years out of him.
We need a genuine high-quality player that can provide the service our forward are screaming out for, he is very versatile, he can play on the wings, behind the forwards, in the centre of the park and if necessary as a second striker.
Perisic is creative, he has vision, he can pick out a player with a pinpoint pass, he is an excellent striker of the ball and can whip in some beautiful crosses.
He also tracks back when required and is far from being a luxury player.
So yes, I would say he is definitely worth signing.
What do you think?
Age 31 by Feb is a danger sign, even without a high transfer fee, (IF that be the case). HOWEVER GOOD HE IS, THAT IS NOT THE IDEAL WAY TO TEAM BUILD. We already have far too many oldies and need fewer, not extra. My instincts are to hope it doesn’t happen.
Spot-on and I don’t think the transfer would be realized as Arsenal should have noticed the number of languished players in their squad
Unfortunately there is a big possibility some old players would stay in the next season, therefore there might be a few additions only, not a total makeover as what the fans expect
No just NO
He was a hardworker and a sharpshooter but one of the worst dribblers in World Cup, along with Pavon and Guedes. His forms are also bad in this season
Arsenal do not need another 30+ years old player. They need a more courageous, trickier and hungrier young winger with a lot of energy, like Adama Traore and Chukwueze
@ Gotanidea
Just stop it with the Adama traore nonsense, when will you realize he isn’t good enough for us. He has not end product, none whatsoever. Chukwueze is also not yet at the level we need, also needs to improve his decision making. You need to understand that just because a player can run and dribble doesn’t automatically make him a player for the top teams, remember gervinho?
No, he’s too good old and the older you get the longer it takes for knocks etc to heal. We’ve got good youngsters in the U23s, it’s about time we tried some of them.
Spot on Declan
I am not expecting a lot from him straight away, but I want to see Nelson on the wings next season.
TMJW, I agree with you completely and would further add that, if the transfer kitty is as low as predicted, we will HAVE to give our younger players a chance anyway.
Any kitty should, in my opinion, be spent on top player(s) and the inevitable ridiculous salary that accompanies them.
The one player I would steer clear of though is Adama Traore, another player who runs into blind alleys at every opportunity…let’s concentrate on our own players who do that and try to educate them not to do it.
Agree. Sell Miki, buy a new winger, promote Nelson. Arsenal need to start relying on academy more. And we have so many talented youngsters are coming through. Would be a mistake to let them all go and not benefit. Saka is another we must give a chance to in the near future.