One of the most exciting players that Arsenal were linked to this summer, was Barcelona’s super striker, David Villa. Of course, it all came to naught.
Arsenal fans spent the entirety of the January transfer window deadline day, awaiting news of the Spaniard with baited breath. In the end, it was another Spanish player, Nacho Monreal, who joined the team – a left-back who is set to deputise for Kieran Gibbs over the next couple of weeks.
Whilst Nacho looks like a good signing, I think it’s fair to say that most fans were hoping Villa would be arriving instead.
After all, Arsenal’s attacking options are somewhat limited. Olivier Giroud has proven to be effective, but he’s also sluggish on the ball, gives it away pretty often and lacks in technical quality. He’s certainly not your typical Arsenal striker. Lukas Podolski has been exiled out to the wings and the sub bench and Theo Walcott, a man desperate for a role down the middle, has been handed the same fate.
The result is a rather one-dimensional Arsenal attack. There’s nobody to come off the bench and really change a game. And it’s for this reason I’m surprised that Arsene Wenger didn’t try harder to bring David Villa to the Emirates this January. I would have thought that a player of his quality would be at the very top of his list.
According to TalkSPORT, it would cost Arsenal around £17m to tempt Barcelona to sell in the summer. That’s a colossal figure for a player who’s going to be 32-years-old later this year. Let’s not forget that last season he also suffered a serious leg break and has started just 8 games this season. He’s hardly at the top of his game and is likely fighting for fitness. With that in mind, Arsenal would be crazy not to attempt to argue Barcelona down from their current evaluation.
But I still feel that the Gunners should be pursuing Villa. Spain’s top-scorer is the kind of player who could really revolutionise this Arsenal team and provide them with the focal point that they’ve been missing since Robin Van Persie left the club. His pure goal-scoring ability is practically unrivalled across the footballing world and that’s something the club should be investing in.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal finally push this David Villa deal through?
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