It’s early January and the novelty of Christmas is beginning to wear away, as the focus shifts from drinking eggnog to making resolutions for 2014. Targets vary from losing weight to quitting smoking over the course of the forthcoming year, however the ideal everyone strives towards has one thing in common: improvement.
Arsène Wenger will be looking to adopt that principal by enhancing the Arsenal squad during the transfer window and one area of the Gunners’ squad that has been cited to require some immediate bolstering is the striker department. Olivier Giroud is by no means an inadequate feature in Arsenal’s attack, but options excluding the Frenchman are few and far between and if the North Londoners are to accomplish success, success that has eluded them over the best part of nine years, signings up front must be made. It’s mid-season, though, and this factor is influential as to what calibre of player is available as sides are obviously less inclined to lose players when there’s half of the campaign yet to play.
Regardless, I’ve chalked up four potential ‘resolutions’ that I feel could decide the outcome of this hotly contested title race come what May. Whether the club agree with my viewpoint is another matter entirely, of course.
Kevin Volland
Hoffenheim haven’t exactly set the Bundesliga alight since achieving promotion from the second division in 2008, usually finishing in middle of the pack or, as was the case in 2012/13, fighting for their top flight status in the form of a relegation battle decided via a playoff match. An unattractive aura was surrounded the club and, if truth be told, most neutrals would not have felt sorry to see the Rhein-Neckar Arena outfit lose to Kaiserslauten in the aforementioned ‘winner takes all’ meeting to cap off the season in May. Markus Gisdol lead his side to safety, however, and the Hoffe lived to fight another day, but 2013/14 has proven far more easy on the eye and even if the club are back where they’ve become most accustomed to over the past six years, mid table, there have overwhelming positives to suggest that improvement is in the pipelines.
One of the resounding topics of discussion regarding this new-look Hoffenheim side is their attacking potency and a key component to this newfound danger up top is largely due to the performances of Kevin Volland, someone who I believe could be set for a change of scenery in the very near future.
Volland is contrary to the trend of forwards that have plied their trade at Arsenal in recent memory due to his versatility. Unlike Olivier Giroud, Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and many more who have lead the line over the past decade, the ex-1860 München is equally as effective out wide as he is centrally. As a matter of fact, Volland has made fifteen appearances on the right flank domestically, serving a great purpose to the Hoffenheim cause by scoring seven goals, including strikes against Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund, which decisively contributed to the four points his side earned from the two meetings. One of the most useful attributes attached to the 21-year-old is his vision, which is amplified to an exceptional standard by his extraordinary technical ability. Volland can also drop into deeper roles, behind the striker, and uses that aforementioned impeccable vision to spawn opportunities for his teammates, creating sixteen chances thus far this campaign. Dribbling is another area in which observers have waxed lyrical about the German U-21 international, particularly when he has featured on the flank.
Statistically speaking, Volland is one of the best dribblers in the Bundesliga, completing 44 successful take-ons in his sixteen appearances this season with an overall success rate of 65%, better than that of former Arsenal target Luis Suárez, who has completed 41 successful take-ons with a significantly worse success rate of 31%. Indeed, Kevin Volland is a player worth pursuing and the Daily Mirror believe that there is substantial interest from the Gunners, explaining that £12m is all it would take to lure him away from Hoffenheim, so whilst he’s not as orthodox a forward as Giroud is for example, there are many incentives to at least enquire the possibility of such a deal coming to fruition.
Jackson Martínez
Porto have spawned many talents over the past five years, ranging from Hulk to João Moutinho, however, arguably, the most talented player to develop in the ranks at Estádio do Dragão was Radamel Falcao, now of AS Monaco. During the Dragãos 2010/11 campaign, in which the treble [Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, Europa League] headed to Porto, Falcao caught the footballing world’s attention by scoring thirty eight goals in forty two appearances, including the winner in the Europa League final against Braga.
Since that breakthrough campaign, Falcao has garnered an accumulative sum in excess of £100m and has made a name for himself as one of the most most lethal forwards in the world. During this time, though, another Colombian has captured the minds of Portistas, prolifically filling the void left by Falcao, albeit a year after El Tigre’s departure to Atlético Madrid. I am of course referring to Jackson Martínez, a striker who you may or may not be fully aquatinted with, but a striker that you should reckon with regardless.
Martínez’s strength that has astronomically caused his stock to rise, predominantly, is his finishing. Over the course of his professional career, ‘Jackshow’ as he’s known in Portugal, has hit the back of the net; scoring 63 in 148 appearances for Independiente Medellín, 37 in 80 appearances for Chiapas and 49 in 63 appearances, at time of writing, for Porto. This is an overall average of a goal in less than every two games, consistently giving defenders nightmares as a result of his ability in front of goal.
Although he hasn’t managed to sustain fitness over the course of the season, the 27-year-old has tallied an impressive seven goals in just six matches, leading Porto to the top of the league, level on points with Sporting Lisbon and Benfica. These goals don’t solely result from his feet, however, as Martínez is also known to make the most out of his 6’1″ frame by using his head as an effective weapon. If Martínez did arrive, it wouldn’t be for a cheap fee, with his buy-out clause reportedly standing at a reputable £34m. What this would provide Arsenal with is a ‘ready made’ striker of quality to compete with Giroud and add an extra dimension to the Gunners’ attacking schemes. Is Martínez the most economically sound signing that could be made? No, but he would sufficiently solve the problem and when it comes to solving problems, the ends almost always justify the means.
Dimitar Berbatov
When you consider the criteria for the stereotypical Arsène Wenger signing, their location is very rarely London, however Dimitar Berbatov of Fulham may become an anomaly to the trend set over seventeen years ago. Currently lingering around the bottom three, Fulham have drastically failed to live up to their consistent standards set over the course of the last six years, standing merely two points above the relegation zone. Throughout their recent turmoil, though, Dimitar Berbatov has become an omnipresent positive through not only his contributions to the twenty one goals in which the Cottagers have netted at this point in the season, but also because of his encapsulating magic with the ball that has often inspired his teammates to scalper invaluable points.
Moreover, Berbatov has shown improvement under new manager René Meulensteen, initially disappointing at the start of the seasons when Martin Jol, his previous coach at Tottenham Hotspur, was at helm. Despite his recent revival, the only manager to utilise Dimitar to the best of his abilities in England was Sir Alex Ferguson, whom purchased the Bulgarian for a club record fee of £30.75m back in 2008. At Old Trafford, at least for the first three seasons, the dismal work-rate that has stunted his rise to the top ceased to exist and the forward’s game benefited for that, scoring 56 goals in 149 appearances, which played a monumental part in securing two Premier League titles. My point is that experienced coaches with heralded man-management skills, Ferguson and a Wenger, can get the best out of Berbatov with the correct nurturing and this is one of the reasons that must be impressed to skeptics of the 32-year-old.
There are similarities that can be drawn between Berbatov and Giroud, notably what they unselfishly offer to the players around them. Berbatov’s role at Craven Cottage comes with certain creative responsibilities, similar to Giroud’s at the Emirates Stadium in some respects, and as a consequence to this, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen talisman plays with his back to goal and offers link-up play with Alexander Kačaniklić, Adel Taarabt, et al. The transition from Olivier to Dimitar would prove seamless thanks to the traits they respectively share and cause the less collateral damage in terms of adjusting to a new face leading the line.
What will work in Berbatov’s favour is his lack of lucrative transfer fee, with reports circulating that Arsenal wouldn’t have to cough up more than £5m to snatch him from Fulham’s grasp. This would go some way in finding a solution to the problem, Berbatov would be very effective when Giroud’s out of form, in need of a rest or is injured, but in the summer, you can guarantee that there will be calls for Wenger to invest a far heftier sum in a new striker, so this is a short-term alternative. Despite the reasonable price tag, Arsène has rebuffed the rumours that this deal may happen in the future, “We are assessing our options which are restricted. Berbatov is not a name we have considered.”. There are more questions than answers with regards to this concept move, however it’s very probable that many variables will fluctuate before the window slams shut at the start of February.
Diego Costa
Mesut Özil’s signing back in September was surreal. It was almost as if the discontent supporters had ditched their pitchforks for hymn sheets as they harmoniously sung ‘kumbaya’ with more accepting members of the fan base. It took near enough the entire duration of the summer window, but eventually that signing galvanised all involved with the Arsenal cause. Now, with Arsenal at the top of the league and looking somewhat comfortable midway through the campaign, there’s little to no animosity amongst the Emirates Stadium faithful.
This does not mean, though, that another marquee addition would not create the same hysteria as Özil’s did, perhaps it would have all the move positives as the simple reassurance that the side were not resting on their laurels would undoubtedly cause universal appreciation to Wenger, Gazidis, Kroenke, etc. Diego Costa, attached with a handsome £32m buyout clause, is a sitting duck from Arsenal’s point of view, even if it would take a lot of work to secure his services. The Brazilian-born forward is not unhappy at current club Atlético Madrid and has no evident reason to leave Estadio Vicente Calderón, but it would a lot of naïvety from the perspective of someone whom doesn’t wish for such a move to come fruition to claim that there’s no attraction with Arsenal and the Premier League. Unlike a potential situation if Real Madrid or Barcelona picked up an interest in Costa, Atléti’s hands aren’t tied when it comes to doing business with foreign sides as the aforementioned buyout clause is only applicable to teams in Spain. Despite what Sporting Director Caminero said to Marca – “Right now, Costa does not think of leaving, he is hooked with Atletico,” – for the right price, the chances of striking a deal with the Mattress Makers is not as unlikely as it would mattress makers.
What’s earned Costa the acclaim to warrant such a figure? Attention, predominantly. The 25-year-old has received the focus he’s experiencing now through more people taking notice of Atlético Madrid and other sides in La Liga to Barça & Real Madrid. Costa’s abilities aren’t newfound and his talent has been at an exceptional level for longer than five months, however it would be fair to say that he’s found himself in his element since moving to Madrid in 2007. The recently announced Spanish international is well-travelled across his adopted nation, spending spells with Celta Vigo, Albacete, Real Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano. It’s granted him invaluable experience, his journey to reach the position he’s currently in, but that experience sourced from hard work and remarkable persistence.
It was 2012 in which Costa exhibited real signs of quality, though, starting the year on-loan at Vallecano after spending the first half of the season recovering from injury. Kicking off his stint at Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, Costa boasted an impressive tally of four goals in his first three appearances and only went only to improve his account by scoring a total of nine goals in sixteen appearances. The ex-Braga attacker returned to Atléti a developed and rehabilitated player, overwhelming all the more on a bigger stage. Although Radamel Falcao, who was previously mentioned in this article, stole the headlines, Costa was slowly but surely making name for himself as one of the elite talents in Spanish football. Perhaps his proudest moment of that campaign was scoring the leveller in the Copa Del Rey final, one of twenty in all competitions, in what became an historic night for the club as a late Miranda header ensured that the trophy would be making the short transit across the city to the Arganzuela district. Initial attraction from English clubs surfaced in the summer, with Liverpool apparently matching his release clause, at the time, of £21m. Costa rebuffed the idea of departing for Anfield and instead put pen to paper on a new deal set to expire in 2018, whilst doubling his salary in the process.
‘Diego Costa Fever’ has reached boiling point this season, though, with Atléti dangerously challenging to title partially as a result of their #19’s contributions on the goalscoring front. Amassing 23 goals in 19 appearances, 19 in 17 vs La Liga opposition [the league’s best], Costa is the poster boy for Diego Simeone’s mission to achieve widespread, and sustainable, success. Helped by the likes of Koke, Arda Turan and David Villa, the exiled South American native has spearheaded the assault for domestic glory and with Atléti heading into the winter break level on points with Barcelona, all signs indicate that this motley bunch of contenders are most certainly not pretenders to the throne. It would require an almighty effort in which there’s commitment from all levels of the club to complete this deal, but Costa is, arguably, the biggest talented I’ve mentioned in this piece and I feel that his wealth of brilliance will pay for itself via silverware this seasons for many years afterwards.
If you would like to read more on what Diego Costa would bring to Arsenal, please read Billy Edwards’ fantastic post for Read Arsenal here.
