JustArsenal readers have been repeating the mantra that “Arsenal are three top players away from the title” for many years, and now perhaps Wenger has finally started getting the pieces of his jigsaw in place.
The Gunners defence has now been strengthened with the arrival of Gabriel Paulista, although we may need one more backup next season if Mert leaves or if Koscielny’s Achilles problems continue to hamper his playing time. Hopefully Matthiey Debuchy will be back to his best next season to help us stay stable at the back.
The emergence of Francis Coquelin has nullified the need for Arsenal to buy a new “Beast of a DM”, so this leaves the “World Class” striker that we have all desired to give some true competition for Olivier Giroud.
Wenger has admitted that he would NOT have bought Danny Welbeck if he had been in London on deadline day (so why did he go to the Vatican on such a crucial day?) and although Welbeck has shown glimpses of form he is hardly the deadly finisher we were hoping for, and maybe Chuba Akpom could be the answer but he is still far too young to be the finished product we need to take the title.
Now Wenger has admitted that he believes that the Porto striker Jackson Martinez is perfect for the Premier League, and after 85 goals in two seasons for the Portugese giants he could be the last piece of Wenger’s jigsaw puzzle. Wenger was quoted in the Mail as saying: “He has top physical strengths.Hugely efficient, he is the kind of player who can make room for himself in the box.
“He could play in the Premier League because he has the body to make the difference. He uses it in a very intelligent way. Very short back lift and he’s a very good finisher.’
“He’s on the list of many clubs, you know that. He will be the next big transfer who will give a big smile to Pinto da Costa [Porto’s owner].’
Wenger has now shown that Arsenal can splash out on one marquee player every season now, and with the massive 70% increase in TV money confirmed the Gunners can now compete with anyone for the top top players around the world. Has he given notice to the other big teams in the Premier League that they will have to fight Arsenal for the signature of Martinez? And is he all we need to win the title next season?