Arsenal appear to have put a striker at the very top of their summer wishlist, after already being linked with Jamie Vardy and Edinson Cavani. It looks like Vardy will reject the Gunners in favour of staying at Leicester City, but fresh transfer speculation links Arsene Wenger’s men with a move for Romelu Lukaku. That is the profile of striker that makes a lot more sense, with Wenger using a striker that likes to play with their back to goal and brings the midfield into play. Their main goal-scoring threat is Alexis Sanchez and it is crucial that he gets as much of the ball in the final third as possible.
Olivier Giroud is much maligned, but he is in fact a very good forward, who has done a great job since joining Arsenal. The Frenchman has scored 57 league goals across four seasons, which is by no means a bad return. However, he isn’t a top tier striker, and Arsenal need somebody in that top bracket if they are to challenge for major honours. They have Petr Cech, Mesut Ozil and Sanchez, all of whom are top tier players, and if they bring in a quality striker, they have the potential to do some real damage next season.
The signing of Granit Xhaka is a great piece of business, and he has showed that he will improve the Arsenal midfield across his European Championship performances. The rumoured move for Romelu Lukaku is encouraging news for Arsenal fans, as he is a powerful forward with lots of potential. He is only 23 and has already twice surpassed Giroud’s highest league goal tally for Arsenal, while doing it for clubs not challenging at the top of the league. The Belgian forward remains inconsistent, but there is no doubting his potential and he could develop into one of the best strikers in the world.
Lukaku will attract a lot of interest this summer as the biggest clubs in the world are aware of his qualities, with Chelsea rumoured to be investigating the possibility of bringing the Belgian back to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal appears to be the best fit though, as he would be a first team player and his style would mesh perfectly with that of Arsenal’s. He likes to lead the line on his own, and his hold up play can be very good at times, although he will want to add consistency to that part of his game. He would offer an extra dimension to Giroud, as Lukaku can run in behind using his pace and strength. The Belgian enjoys to dribble with the ball as well, and would provide a lot more to the Arsenal attacking unit.
There are still a lot of doubts about Lukaku, including his consistency and attitude. Last season, he went on an excellent run of form during the first half of the season, but was poor after Christmas, and he didn’t look motivated to play for Roberto Martinez anymore. He needs to work on that side of his game and working under a top coach like Arsene Wenger would aid his development no end. The managerial change at Goodison Park makes the striker’s future less clear cut, but it’s still expected that he will depart this summer. The reported fee is around £31m and that could prove to be a worthy investment in the long term, especially when Troy Deeney is going to cost a similar amount.
The link to Jamie Vardy was a curious one and didn’t match up with how Arsene Wenger has done business over the last few years. The huge amount of spending on Granit Xhaka and now a striker looking likely, it may suggest that Arsene Wenger is trying to add two of three quality players in what could be his final campaign at the helm. He will want to finish with a major trophy and may switch his thinking from long term to short term. The possible signing of Vardy would certainly have been a short term deal, as he is unlikely to be able to contribute at the top level for another three of four years. However, the link to Lukaku is much more promising as he would be able to have an instant impact and improve the Arsenal side. He would also develop a lot more in the future and could be the Gunners’ leading man for the next decade. If they can agree a deal with Everton, Lukaku could be the perfect signing for Arsenal.
