Arsene Wenger has the chance to end his striker search the best way possible by beating West Ham United to sign AC Milan’s Carlos Bacca. It’s a chance too good to miss for the Arsenal manager. Wenger would get everything he looks for in a transfer deal if he signs Bacca – an intelligent, hard-working and technically capable player, at a bargain fee. That last part may be the most appealing aspect to the Gunners chief.
Wenger knows he needs a striker, but so far he’s been knocked back by Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, as well as quoted astronomical fees for other proposed targets such as Alvaro Morata, Romelu Lukaku, Alexandre Lacazette and Gonzalo Higuain.
No wonder Bacca is starting to look so appealing.
Arsenal are currently vying to beat West Ham for Bacca’s signature, after identifying the Colombian as an alternative to Vardy and Higuain, according to Richard Amofa of the Daily Telegraph.
It’s easy to see Wenger’s motivation to pip Arsenal’s Premier League rivals to the signing of such a gifted and prolific striker.In a comprehensive look at the recent transfer rumours surrounding the Gunners, Amofa also noted how Juventus have stolen a march on Higuain because of their willingness to meet the ‘Napoli forward’s £78m release clause’.
There’s no denying Higuain’s talent and scoring rate. Yet, in a market where a 29-year-old is valued at close to £80 million, Wenger must be awfully tempted by a player of the same age who is available for a fraction of the cost.
Bacca is said to cost closer to £25 million, that makes him a bargain in a window where Morata costs £60 million, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror, while Lukaku could cost as much as £75 million, according to Paul Joyce of the Daily Express.
A report from Get French Football News recently stated Arsenal had backed off from a deal for Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette ‘after being quoted a fee worth €50m plus bonuses (for an overall fee worth around €60m) for the player’. Lacazette boasts the pace and perceptive movement the Gunners need up front, much in the same way Vardy does, but he’s simply not worth that level of investment.
After one glance at the fees clubs are demanding for strikers this summer, it becomes easy to ask where’s the value?
Bacca, along with his former team-mate at Sevilla, Kevin Gameiro, are the closest Wenger will find to true bargains. Both have quietly and consistently excelled near the top tier of European football, yet neither is considered marquee, meaning they each play with a point to prove. It’s that kind of hunger Wenger needs to see from the Gunners during the new Premier League season. Bacca has it, having gone from part-timer to prolific goalscorer during a career that has taken in successful stints with Club Brugge, Sevilla and AC Milan.
He proved deadly in front of goal at each club. His ability as a finisher has also reaped rewards, notably a pair of UEFA Europa League triumphs with Sevilla, before Gameiro took over as the team’s premier goal-getter after Bacca departed for Italy’s Serie A last summer.
Bacca’s consistent scoring record is no coincidence. He’s put his name on the sheet so often thanks to a mix of graft, craft and instinct defences find a nightmare to contain.
YouTube: Carlos Bacca – ALL 20 GOALS in 2015/16 HD
First and foremost, he’s a nuisance. Constantly on the move, Bacca never lets his markers rest for a second. He’s powerful enough to muscle a defender off the ball, while also possessing the deceptive pace to leave surprised players trailing.
In his way, Bacca offers the target-man qualities of a traditional No. 9 that Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud possesses. Like the Frenchman, Bacca can play with his back to goal, hold the ball up and link well with others, a key attribute in the intricate, combination passing Wenger loves. However, where the Colombian is superior to Giroud is in how he anticipates chances. Bacca is an intelligent mover along the front, always demonstrating a keen sense of when to make the decisive run, one sure to be impeccably timed.
This flair for roaming effectively between the lines would be a major asset in an Arsenal squad geared to feature the vision of playmakers Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, both of whom would surely present Bacca with a host of chances.
YouTube: Carlos Bacca | All 32 Goals – 2014-15 | HD
He’s an intelligent scorer and is an excellent finisher. He’s also mastered the art of the scrappy goal. In this way, Bacca is similar to ex-Manchester United poacher Javier Hernandez.
Some will highlight that the player will turn 30 in September. Frankly though, if Wenger was willing to sign Vardy, and showed interest in Higuain, both 29, then age shouldn’t be a factor.
Arsenal need a striker, and Bacca is a bargain Wenger can’t afford to miss.
