One step Forward, two steps back

Octopuses, Koalas, Hornbills and Sea Lions, we’ve had it all ladies and gentlemen. Whenever there’s major football tournament around, you can bet there’s a bunch of wild animals predicting its course of action. The funny thing is, Arsenal fans have the same ability for predicting each and every transfer window for their club; and they don’t even need to be fed food with tags on it to reveal the future. It is always the same. Make an early signing showing signs of promise for the months to come. This player is generally a big enough name to get fans excited about how the team will shape around him and what other players might follow in his steps. Further, the papers start linking said signing’s national teammates, previous club mates and/or anyone who he might have a photo with. It is then with a fake shock that we realize that none of these deals ever happen, since “there is no quality in the market”. So when news came out that Arsenal had shown some genuine interest in making an unprecedented second big signing, you can understand the stunned surprise from the Arsenal faithful.

Unless you’ve been searching for Pokémon under a rock, the news of Arsenal’s interest in Gonzalo Higuain’s services for the umpteenth time must not have evaded your Twitter feeds. After the record breaking season he’s had, the Argentine forward has been revealed to have a mammoth €94m release clause. Naturally, Arsenal found right to bid around half that, with their French number 9 added as a sweetener to the deal.

Olivier Giroud is not one of my favorite players at the club. The problem, however, is that he is the only legitimate number 9 Arsenal have. And for the better part of last two seasons, he’s had to handle the entire load of the striking duties by himself. This was the primary reason why fans were pleasantly surprised and relieved to see Danny Welbeck sign, giving the Gunners a more than decent back up striker. Now, with “Welbz” all but set to be the “like-a-new-signing” Arsenal unveils in January, it makes no sense to let Mr. Higuain have the exact same orientation that Giroud did by letting him leave. If Arsenal want to buy a world-class striker, they should. But they cannot justify letting their only fit forward leave through the same revolving door. Square one is not even the place they would be at; it’s probably going to be worse considering no one knows how “El Pipita” will fare against the harsh nature of the Premier League. And given Arsenal’s track record, can you really see Higuain staying fit and firing all season?

The alternative scenario however, isn’t exactly all rainbows and unicorns. Since this is the silly season, let’s say Arsenal do pay the 70 million quid Napoli are demanding upfront without Giroud. Isn’t there anyone in the management and recruiting staff at Arsenal thinking, “Hey-couldn’t we have tried to get the Aubameyang guy for this exact amount of money; the one who is basically a huge upgrade on Vardy-another guy we missed out on?”. Higuain is 28, not quick, not consistent at the big stage and makes less sense to be brought at the exact same price tag as the recent African footballer of the year. If Arsene Wenger really wants to play a quick and deadly forward up top and has finally decided to spend £70m on someone, why not go for the player with the overwhelmingly better chances of success? Agreed, Dortmund is under no pressure to sell the player and he has shown no interest in leaving, but it’s not like negotiations with Napoli have been easy. If you’re up for a fight, why not fight for the bigger fish?

This is not to say that Higuain will not be a massive help to our current striking issues. The man has a proven record in leagues and is nimble footed in the final third, something Giroud is often ridiculed over. He would bring the kind of technique Aguero shows every quarter season he plays for Manchester City. You don’t get to score 36 goals in 35 games without having a lethal right foot and eye for goal. Not to forget, the amount spent on this man, £50m or £70m, it would certainly send out a signal of intent from Arsenal, one that we haven’t seen for a long time.

However, when this kind of money is involved, it is better to weigh up all your options. While Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may cost just as much and let Arsenal keep a hold of Giroud, it’s not like he’s the only option out there. With the arrival of Morata at Real Madrid, now would be a good time to throw in a bid for Karim Benzema, who for all his faults is still a more powerful number 9 than Higuain. He has a body structure built for the Premier League, he’s a more mature forward and he’s taken flak from some of the most impatient fans in the world at Real. The fact that he’d probably cost tens of millions less is just another cherry on top. Instead of getting someone unproven like Carlos Bacca or even going for another “potential signing” like Morata, snapping up Benzema would be the kind of move which goes under everyone’s radar.

As all of Arsenal’s rival clubs strengthen while they sit on their fans money, the future looks to be predictable as ever for the Gunners. However, given the kind of lift off Mesut Ozil’s deadline day signing gave to the team three years ago, a huge bid-and successful one-could well do something similar; no matter who comes and goes.