Which players remain Arsenal striker targets?
Now the Arsenal fans can be content that we have an official answer from Jamie Vardy, in that he will be rejecting Arsenal this summer in preference to remain at Leicester City, Arsenal must now turn their attention elsewhere, with many other potential strikers on Arsene Wenger’s wanted list.
Let’s run through some of the strikers that could be possible transfer targets for Arsenal in the strikers department this summer:
Firstly we should look at Alvaro Morata. Morata who was formerly of Juventus, has been the most linked striker with Arsenal this summer. But the Spanish international has had a buy back clause in his contract exercised by Real Madrid, so he will now be returning to the Spanish capital. This doesn’t end all hope for Arsenal when it comes to Morata however, as Madrid reportedly want to sell the young player on again, in order to make some profit (not that they need to fundraise). Morata is not a wanted man by all Arsenal fans, with many keen to point out that he struggles to be consistent over the course of the season and that he also isn’t currently the 20+ goals a season striker that we are in need of. Pair this with his extortionate transfer fee and I can see why many Gooners wouldn’t want the club to sign Morata this summer.
Next up is Romelu Lukaku, the Everton striker who is desperate for a move away from Merseyside this summer. Lukaku has publicly announced his desire to move to a bigger club and so if Arsenal were to come calling, he could sign for the Gunners. We all know about Lukaku’s qualities on the ball and his experience in the Premier League would be a valuable asset to Arsenal over the other strikers we are linked with. There are however concerns about his attitude and the real issue Arsenal have here is that there is plenty of competition for the Belgian and at such a commanding transfer fee, (likely to be £50m+) I think the Gunners may be priced out of the market.
A fan favourite to sign for Arsenal is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is a wanted man by a number of top European clubs this summer, including Manchester City and Atletico Madrid. Arsenal will certainly have to fight hard to get Aubameyang, if they truly want to sign him this summer and it’ll come with some cost. With a deal likely to be in the figures of £60m+, I think Arsenal may be priced out of the market because of Wenger’s spending habits, but you really do never know with Le Prof.
Another player with a little uncertainty about him is Vincent Janssen, the striker leading the pack in the Dutch league. Spurs recently had their initial bid turned down for Janssen, but it seems that he does want to leave AZ ALKMAAR and that the club won’t get in his way if the right offer comes in. He’s been scoring goals for fun in the Dutch league and he would be the cheapest of the bunch, but is he the quality that we are looking for? Do we need to look for a player with more experience on the highest levels of European football? I expect to hear plenty more from this one as the season edges closer.
So there you have it, four potential strikers that could be signing for the Gunners this summer and amazingly not a single one of them was Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema…oh how times change. Let’s see which one, if any, Arsene Wenger goes for, or could he go down the route of converting a player like Julien Draxler?
By AH