I have to say, I’ve been quietly impressed by Yaya Sanogo’s recent cameos in an Arsenal shirt. Whilst I’m not ready to make any kind of song and dance, or posit him as the Gunners’ great hope, there are some positive signs.
After a few months out, his clunky touches are to be expected. But the fact that he was able to hold the ball up so well against a team like Bayern Munich and win everything in the air, is very impressive indeed.
Despite this, Olivier Giroud is still the Gunners’ main man. The Frenchman’s brace against Sunderland last week more or less solidified this. But this begs the question: are Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo a title-winning forward line?
I’m just not sure. When you compare them to Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez and Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, the deficit is clear. This is one area of the squad that needs some assessing during the summer transfer window.
But who should Arsene Wenger look to bring in when the opportunity arises?
According to The Mirror, Arsene Wenger is back in the battle to sign Real Madrid’s hotly-tipped young forward, Alvaro Morata. He was a target for the Gunners during the January transfer window, but Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t interested in letting him go. Will Madrid change their tune during the summer transfer window?
In short, the answer’s yes, but it’s not quite that simple. The source suggests that Madrid want £15m for the 21-year-old and that their keen to insert a buy-back clause into any potential contract.
These kind of deals always give me cause for concern. What’s the point of having a player on your books who could be sent backing at a moment’s notice? What if he becomes a 20-30 goal-a-season for Arsenal and is then called back to the Bernabeu?
Arsene Wenger would have developed yet another talent, only to see them play their best football for another club. I thought those days were over.
Still, if the Gunners can negotiate away any of these clauses, Morata is worth looking at. His reputation at such a young age is very impressive indeed and he has the pace, technique and precision that tends to belong to Arsenal strikers (even if Giroud doesn’t exactly excel in these areas).
£15m is a lot of money, but if things go well, his price-tag could double over the length of his next contract. It’ll certainly be interesting to see who comes out on top of this particular battle.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal continue to fight for Alvaro Morata?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.