Why this Arsenal transfer wouldn’t be the mistake everybody expects it to be:

Having signed Lukas Podolski early on in the summer, many Arsenal fans seem to be waiting with baited breathe to see if Arsene Wenger signs another striker. Of course, as soon as he does the speculation will begin: is he a replacement for Robin Van Persie or will he play alongside the Dutchman at the club? This, of course is par for the course and as we don’t know what RVP’s thinking, speculating is all we can do at the moment. So let’s take each and every rumour as they come and try not to read into them.

Which brings me to the Daily Mail’s claim that Arsenal have raised their interest in CSKA Moscow’s powerhouse striker Seydou Doumbia. It’s believed that the 24-year-old has a £26m buy-out clause but that the Russian side are prepared to drop their evaluation of the player to just £15m. Not bad for a player who chalked up 38 goals last season. Indeed, he hasn’t stopped scoring goals for the last four years. The season previous he scored 12 goals in 15 appearances, and in the two seasons he played for Swiss side Young Boys he scored 57 goals in 78 appearances – a very healthy return.

So why do CaughtOffside label Arsenal’s interest a ‘mistake’? The article spends it length turning its nose up at the possibility of a player from the Russian or Swiss League leaving their mark on the Premier League. It equates the Russian League to the Dutch League (where the likes of Vertonghen, Eriksen and others are attracting plenty of interest from top clubs) and the Swiss League to the Scottish Premier League (from which Nikica Jelavic has been able to adapt pretty quickly).

How else are players who make their mark in foreign Leagues supposed to get a shot if nobody takes a gamble on them? Were Newcastle wrong to sign Papiss Cisse because he came from a mid-table Bundesliga side? Are Manchester United wrong to chase Nick Powell? What are the rules here?

Doumbia is a beast. He’s got a physicality to match the likes of Drogba, can hold the ball up well and knows where the net is. He’s not your quintessential Arsenal striker, but for me that only makes him a better potential signing. It’s a form of snobbery to turn your nose up at him, because he’s not from one of Europe’s top Leagues. All that matters is this: would he improve this Arsenal team? My feeling is yes – so I hope Wenger snaps him up.

What’s your take? Is he the kind of player who can improve Arsenal?

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