The mid-season point of the EPL season is upon us and that means it’s time for the January transfer window. Once again the hopes and dreams of every club will befall onto potential new signings who will bring glory and new style to their next clubs. As is typically the case with Arsenal, we could use several new faces at this club, but as is also typical, manager Arsene Wenger has expressed his willingness to only bring in players of exceptional quality. How do you explain the average product on the field then, Mr. Wenger?
Arsenal desperately needs a striker. Olivier Giroud appears to be rather average, and his repeated act of wasting good chances and throwing up his arms in dismay or pulling a dramatically pained face as he gets up off the ground is becoming an all too familiar act for me. Yes, he needs time to adapt, and yes he is a decent player who could offer something to the side, but Arsenal needs a world-class striker. So who fits the bill?
I was excited about the Klaas-Jan Huntelaar rumors, a brilliant Dutch striker who could bring about his personal rivalry with countryman, Robin van Persie and lead the Gunners to vengeful glory, but he just signed an extension with Shalke and is therefore off the market. The player that now looks most promising would be Demba Ba of Newcastle. Already a proven force in the Premier League, Ba has blasted in 11 goals this season, third highest in the league. He clearly wishes to move to a more prosperous club and could click with Arsenal.
Another viable option at striker would be David Villa. He is apparently on the outs with Barcelona over a lack of playing time, and could re-spark his career in England. I am less excited about him though. Unproven in England and aged 31, Villa looks to me like an Andre Arshavin type. Yes, he made his mark at a major tournament, and he could give an excellent year or two to the team, but Arsenal needs players to provide some longevity, and at 31, Villa is probably not going to provide us with that. So here’s hoping to the arrival of Demba Ba this January!
In other transfer business, I think Arsenal would do well to expedite the swift departures of Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh, and probably Abou Diaby as well. The former two clearly cannot play at this club, and although Diaby does very well when he plays, he is simply too injury-prone to play in the Premier League. He could probably succeed somewhere else, but his occasional appearances don’t lead to a solid backbone at the club.
Elsewhere, the club should probably look towards finding another midfield enforcer type. With Diaby oft-injured and Alex Song long gone to Barcelona, Arsenal needs a force in the middle of the park. I do enjoy the workings of Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, and Santi Cazorla, but these are players that can be bullied around by the more physical Premier League teams and we need to have better matchups in some of these games. Marouane Fellaini is the man best built for the task. He is a force at Everton and can score plenty of goals as well. But with a 30 million pound asking price, Wenger may not be willing to take the gamble. Regardless, someone of that quality is required in our midfield.
Clearly Arsenal needs some outside help. Our current standing is on par with our recent mediocrity and we are a long ways from challenging for titles as it stands. Although our defense has been better than usual, we now need more goal-scoring threats and a dependable striker is an absolute necessity. Hopefully, someone of Wenger’s “exceptional” quality will present himself this January and Arsenal can move forward and improve.