Every Arsenal fan and his dog were crying out for Arsene Wenger to bring in a new top-class striker during the transfer window, but while Le Prof was busy fending off the media by saying that Giroud and Walcott (and an injured Danny Welbeck) was more than enough to carry Arsenal to the title, Manchester United were doing great things in the transfer market.
Many people thought that Louis Van Gaal was mad to pay £36million for a promising 19 year-old striker from France, but his massive gamble has paid off as Anthony Martial has already scored four goals in four games for Man United. Arsene Wenger admitted that he had been watching the youngster’s progress, but thought he was more a winger than a striker.
Very few people agree with Le Prof, especially Philippe Lamboley, Martial’s agent. “Anthony is a true modern centre-forward who can play a part,” Lamboley was quoted as saying in the Mirror. “I am surprised by the analysis of Arsene Wenger, who has apparently been following him since he was a teenager.
“If the analysis Arsene Wenger has made is in order to justify not having signed Anthony, I accept he is a winger.
“But in football, there are those who follow players and those who buy them.”
Unhappily, this will be one of those that got away from Wenger, and reminds me of the years that Wenger spent watching Eden Hazard’s development and delaying making the right offer to Lille that would have brought him to the Emirates at a young age, or even just three years ago when Wenger said that Arsenal were just “a few million” away from signing the Belgian international.
Now, if Wenger had have got Hazard at any cost, and brought in Anthony Martial without worrying about the price, maybe we would now be favourites to win the Premiership?