With Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski returning to fitness, do Arsenal need another forward ?
Much was made of Arsenal’s hunt for a new striker over the summer months, with stellar names such as Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez and Wayne Rooney all linked to the club.
Initially of course, players such as these were linked to the club as superstar forwards, very much likely to be first-choice had they joined.
But heading towards the winter transfer window, Arsene Wenger finds himself with one of the form strikers in the league already at his disposal in Olivier Giroud, indicating that any forward brought in needn’t necessarily be at such expense or of such immediate quality. The big Frenchman has scored ten in all competitions so far this year, and been part of much of Arsenal’s impressive attacking play.
In August and September the talk shifted to that of finding adequate back-up for the former Montpellier striker, something that Wenger felt was less pressing given the availability of Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott as forward options. But after both suffered injuries, unfit misfit Nicklas Bentnder was left as the only available replacement, and all of a sudden that extra forward seemed very necessary once again and Arsenal were to every striker around.
But a return to fitness of his two injured stars means that Wenger may just end up keeping his chequebook in his pocket. On Saturday Walcott returned to action for the Gunners, and with Podolski’s return just around the corner, Arsenal have the level of player capable of filling in for top scorer Giroud.
Both Walcott and Podolski have proved that they can play up top in their career, although the question can still be asked whether either can fill in with the kind of physical hold-up play Giroud has excelled at. If Wenger insists on having such a player in reserve, that new striker, whoever he is, might still turn up in the New Year.
images: © wonker, © adifansnet, © Ronnie Macdonald
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