The fact that one of Arsenal’s major transfer targets this January was striker David Villa is telling.
We all saw the rotten goings on with ex-Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie last summer. He was the Gunner’s main man and left the club in disarray.
Arsene Wenger seeked to fill the void by signing Lukas Podolski from FC Koln and Olivier Giroud from Montpellier. He then proceeded to put Podolski out on the left wing, whilst Giroud has been inconsistent in his first year on British shores.
It was only natural that Arsenal would struggle without RVP, but few could have predicted that things would get this bad. The Gunners need a real striker who can deliver the goods on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, Wenger didn’t snap one up this January, as players like David Villa stayed at their respective clubs. Naturally, fans have begun to look towards the summer transfer window as an opportunity for their club to find the forward they need.
This brings me to a quote from Barcelona’s vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, which suggests the club may be willing to let David Villa leave in the summer: “The coaches hope he is here next season but we will not retain any player that is uncomfortable. In that case, we will talk to him to seek a solution.” (Source: TalkSPORT).
And as things currently stand, David Villa has reason to be ‘uncomfortable’. The Spanish striker spent almost a year out of the Barca squad last season after breaking his shinbone and has found it difficult to work his way back into a very competitive side.
Indeed, he’s only started 9 out of a potential 25 La Liga games this season and is now very much a bit-part player. This must be a rather unsatisfactory position for Spain’s all-time top scorer to be in. At 31-years-old, he’s still got the legs, ability and goal-scoring prowess to play at the very top of the game.
So why isn’t he?
A move to the Emirates would provide him with a proper opportunity to rebuild his career, whilst gifting Arsenal a striker who’s more of a threat than anybody currently on the club’s books.
Given the players age and apparent attitude, you’d think that Barca would be willing to sell the player at a fair price (though they may still be smarting over spending over the odds on Alex Song).
With that in mind, wouldn’t a move for David Villa this summer be sensible?
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