Time for Arsenal to trigger this man’s £33.2m release clause?

Theo Walcott’s injury couldn’t have come at a worst time in his career. Yes, he’ll miss the flight to Brazil (for a World Cup in which he was likely to feature regularly), but he was also likely to get a real shot playing as a centre-forward for Arsenal. He views himself as a striker and he was finally about to get a chance to prove that he’s capable of playing that role at the top level.

The Gunners are short of options upfront and injuries would likely have given Walcott more opportunities to lead Arsenal’s lines. Instead, however, he’s been ruled out of the game for six months. Now that’s bad luck.

But it may well force Arsene Wenger’s hand in the January transfer window. Surely he needs to sign another striker now? But who will the Frenchman be looking to bring in?

According to The Mirror, Arsenal have ‘lodged an inquiry’ with FC Porto over their star striker, Jackson Martinez. This news has me very excited indeed.

The man is truly an unstoppable force in front of goal. The 27-year-old has scored 47 goals in 63 games for the Primeira Liga side. That’s a healthy return by anybody’s standards. He’s also got a bit of pace about his game, technical ability and a fair amount of intelligence. He’d be an excellent choice for this Arsenal side.

Unsurprisingly, he won’t come cheap. The Colombian is thought to have a release fee of £33.2m. Given his importance to the Portuguese champions, the Gunners will likely have to hit this figure to get their man.

Arsene Wenger dropped £42.4m on a creative midfielder last summer, when that really wasn’t a position that needed filling. Given Arsenal’s current need, surely he’d be willing to spend £33.2m on a striker with a track record as good as Jackson Martinez’s?

Of course, we’re talking about ridiculously large amounts of money and as such, logic flies out the window. Wenger’s probably on the hunt for another bargain, or a short term solution, but I can’t help but hope that he keeps Jackson Martinez in mind. There’s a while to go yet before the window slams shut and plenty of time for Arsenal to make their move.

What’s your take? Would Jackson Martinez be a good option for Arsenal? Can they afford to compete for his signature?

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