Oh, how to judge Arsenal’s reported interest in Andre Silva?
On one hand, this is a man sandwiched between Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland in the Bundesliga’s Golden Boot race, making good on Cristiano Ronaldo’s glowing praise with 19 goals in 21 games this season alone.
But does one (admittedly excellent) campaign at the Commerzbank Arena make up for a couple of underwhelming stints elsewhere? That is the question on the lips of everyone in the red half of North London today.
Silva’s ill-fated spell at AC Milan remains a major blot on his copybook – the Portugal international netted two Serie A goals in 25 matches – while his time at Sevilla went downhill quicker than a wheel of stilton at the International Cheese Rolling Festival.
So you can see why the Arsenal fanbase has been split down the middle as Calciomercato suggest that Silva has been identified by the Gunners as a long-term successor for Alexandre Lacazette.
Especially when you consider that the other striker on Edu’s hitlist – Celtic talisman Odsonne Edouard – would arrive with the backing of Thierry Henry amid comparisons with the legendary Dennis Bergkamp.
Edouard has also proved his worth on British soil, albeit north of the border.
In contrast, Silva’s CV is best described as ‘mixed’; prolific in Portugal and Germany, underwhelming in Spain and a disaster in Italy.
In England, things really could go either way.
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