According to The Athletic, Arsenal turned down a swap deal in January that would have seen Mauro Icardi head to the Emirates.
PSG offered Icardi in exchange for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but for one reason or another, Arsenal rejected the offer for the Argentine, instead opting to let Aubameyang go for free.
This seems to be something of a strange decision, and it only looks more odd when you look back at Steve Nicol’s comments on the striker the last time Arsenal were linked with Icardi.
What’s been said?
Arsenal were linked with Icardi a few years ago, and Nicol claimed that the Argentine fit Arsenal perfectly at the time.
“As far as the player is concerned I think he fits Arsenal perfectly,” Nicol said.
“The guy scores goals. He’s a sniffer in and around the box. He’s pretty much everything that Giroud’s not. I think this will happen if Arsenal put their hand in their pocket.”
The same situation
Of course, things have changed in the years since Nicol’s comments, but Arsenal are still largely in the same situation.
As Nicol said, Arsenal didn’t have a striker who will sniff out goals and find the back of the net consistently – and they still don’t.
Alexandre Lacazette is their only senior number nine and after missing sitters in his last two appearances, there’s reason to believe he’s not good enough.
Icardi would have improved Arsenal back then, and he probably would have improved Arsenal in January as well.
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