Arsenal have completed the signing of Petr Cech and with that they have fortified their defence. It was a position in which they lacked leadership, confidence and bravery; three qualities that Cech has in abundance. Providing he stays clear of injuries, the Gunners will not have to worry about their ‘keeper for the next five years at least.
Now Arsenal are close to attaining a complete squad, I say close because a question mark still hangs over the need for a new striker. Do Arsenal need a new striker or not?
Let’s start by assessing the forwards Arsene Wenger has at his disposal at the moment.
Lukas Podolski looks set to leave and it’s hard to see a future at The Emirates for Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell.
Last season, Olivier Giroud featured most predominantly for Arsenal and he was also the striker with the most goals. He scored 19 goals in 36 appearances. Despite this, fans bemoan his lack of killer instinct and failure to finish easy chances at times. His conversion rate in the league this season was higher than the previous two seasons. If you’re a fan of statistics, you will argue that Giroud is statistically one of the best strikers in the league. But maybe fans want to see a more exciting player than the former Montpellier man, someone that will keep them on the edge of their seats.
Step forward Theo Walcott. The Englishman’s season was once again marred by injuries but he still managed to score seven goals in 21 appearances. It has been well-documented that Walcott wants the striker’s role and Wenger gave him that opportunity in the FA Cup final. He repaid the faith by scoring the opening goal. He has an abundance of pace and is always looking to make runs beyond the defender. But it could be said that he relies heavily on pace alone and that he lacks the strength of Giroud.
Danny Welbeck was signed for £16 million from Manchester United last summer. He scored 8 goals in 34 appearances for Arsenal but to be fair to him, he was not always played up forward. Make no mistake, he can finish. He showed that in the 4-1 win against Galatasaray when he scored a hat-trick. He also displays his clinical touch in front of goal regularly when he dons the Three Lions shirt. But he finds himself deployed on the wing often and his crossing is not really David Beckham-esque. At club, level he doesn’t find the net often enough but he tries hard and is always a pain for opposition defences.
Alexis Sanchez’s goals helped greatly in covering the shortcomings of his teammates. Consistency is the buzz word for strikers, and right now it’s something that the Arsenal strikers do not possess. So in answer to the question that was asked at the start:
Yes, Arsenal do need a new striker.
