Could Arsenal replace the Dutch striker they sold to Manchester United with his international teammate? Who is better?
Robin van Persie is widely acknowledged as one of the best strikers in the world, and his stellar 2012 has been matched goal for goal by his compatriot Huntelaar. Could both of the Dutch strikers be playing in the Premier League soon?
With 33 goals apiece in 2012, only Messi, Ronaldo, Falcao and Ibrahimovic sit ahead of van Persie and Huntelaar in the rankings for goals scored for club and country.
With each of the Dutch strikers finishing top scorers in their divisions last season, they have both continued that form this term, and van Persie’s equaliser against Braga brought him level once again with the Hunter, who scored against Arsenal the night before.
Whilst van Persie is widely regarded as the better all-round player of the pair, when he is on his form there are very few strikers who can match Huntelaar’s natural instinct for finishing.
After frustrating spells at Real Madrid and AC Milan he has been a sensation at Schalke, who he has fired to the top of their Champions League group with four goals already in the campaign. This success has made him one of the most sought after forwards in Europe once again, and with his contract expiring next summer, Huntelaar may be available for a cut price £7 million in the winter transfer window.
Several Premiership teams are reportedly interested, and it would certainly be interesting to see the two Dutch strikers face off in the same division. For the national team Huntelaar has had the edge over van Persie in terms of goals, netting 34 in 59 games compared to van Persie’s 31 in 71.
But if a reflection of the fact that van Persie has more to his game than just goals that he is still regarded as the first choice striker for the national side. This may be one of the motivations for Huntelaar to make the move to the Premiership, if he can prove as good a goalscorer as van Persie in the same division; he may better his chances of starting for the national side.
The German league is hardly weak though, and Huntelaar’s record has been extraordinary recently. His performances have put him in the top bracket of European strikers and it would be fantastic to see him come to the Premier League. Given time to settle into the division, it would certainly be interesting to see if the Hunter could match van Persie goal for goal in England.
image: © tpower1978
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