Why Welbeck? by DG
Whilst watching the Deadline day coverage on Sky Sports and hearing that Arsenal’s somewhat hilarious interest Danny Welbeck was not indeed a joke, I realised that Wenger had gone and done it again. Another player that has potential that he may never live up to. A promising prospect that could possibly lead the line…in a few years. Given our need for established, world class players in multiple positions, I was fuming. Outraged that the seemingly obvious need for a solid CDM, CB and Striker had been overlooked and instead we had brought in none other than Danny Welbeck. But upon reflection I think I may have figured out what Wenger has in mind, so bear with me.
This time last season I was in complete shock, Ozil – possibly the best playmaker around – had left Real Madrid and had joined Arsenal. He started well, an assist on his debut and a sublime goal against Napoli had us Unfortunately he began to fizzle out, maybe because of the lack of a winter break, or in my opinion, the lack of pace and movement around him. Having barely played with Walcott, his passing and movement were wasted with Giroud being his main target. And although our midfielders do complement him well, they aren’t going to get on the end of a masterful ball placed to perfection between opposing defences. I think Wenger sees Welbeck as a way to get the most out of our record signing.
When you look at the possibility of having Walcott and now Alexis and Welbeck all on the same pitch in front of a playmaker like Ozil, you can start to see what Wenger is doing. All of these players have blistering pace, incredible work rates, an eye for goal and the ability to play anywhere across the front line. Pair that with Ozil’s unique way of creating space for players around him and his inch perfect passing, and we have the making of a delicious strike force. Yes we could have gone for Falcao or Cavani with their goal scoring ability and their ridiculous wage demands, but they wouldn’t have moulded into this Arsenal team that requires a specific type of player.
A player like Ozil, a player in the same ilk as a Bergkamp or a Pires, someone whose every touch is meticulously measured. Yes we should have got a CDM and a CB, but it softens the blow to know that Ozil can be the catalyst for likes of Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Olivier Giroud and even Danny Welbeck to become some of the best in the world.
Daniel