Arsenal may be lacking in quality players on the forward line, with just Olivier Giroud and an injured Danny Welbeck as Arsenal’s only real out and out strikers, but it hasn’t forced Wenger into the transfer market just quite yet and nobody really knows why.
It was previously assumed that Wenger wasn’t willing to spend the money that today’s current market is demanding for top quality strikers. But after Wenger was told that he would be finically supported by the board for any transfer target that he has this summer, there is now no excuses for why Wenger shouldn’t be thinking about making a move.
Instead of finances being the issue, perhaps Wenger already thinks that he has enough options up front, as Le Prof seems to believe that Walcott will act as a main striker this season.
Speaking after Walcott announced that he wants to return to playing on the wing, where has had his better days, Wenger has instead came out to the media to announce that he personally sees Walcott’s future as a striker at Arsenal, rather than a winger.
Wenger said: “I believe that he has all the ingredients to be a great striker, because of the quality of his runs. He is an intelligent player, a good finisher. He is not a great defender so I believe that to use his runs in the final third for us could be very efficient. After that, I think scoring goals playing there, giving him confidence to play there, will slowly convince him maybe that he can be absolutely fantastic there. On the flank, today there is much defensive work asked from the players that you lose a lot of his qualities when you put him there. For me in my head I will use him more up front.”
There is a lot of doubt surrounding Walcott’s ability to play as a striker, because even though he has shown that he has the pace desired from a frontman, as well as a striker’s finishing ability in him, his inconsistency and weak physicality on and off the ball means that he can be easily lost during games, especially against the tougher oppositions.
Wenger has a decision to make next Sunday, when Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign against Liverpool at the Emirates, because Le Prof will have to decide whether to go with Walcott or Alexis up front, in Olivier Giroud’s absence.
Perhaps Walcott is the reason why Wenger has held off in the transfer market when it comes to showing some real interest in a top quality striker. We all know Wenger believes in Walcott, even if the fans do not, however the real question of debate surrounds whether Walcott believes in himself to be the striker that Arsene Wenger wants him to be this season.
By AH