Arsenal’s underlying problem this season has been in attack. While the rest of the team has been solid, for the majority of the time, the strike force has had a difficult time. With Olivier Giroud the sole first-choice striker, the Frenchman has been burdened by the need for goals. His tally of 22 this season is a decent return but with the chances he’s had, the amount of times he has found the net should be far higher.
Arsenal targeted Real Madrid youngster Alvaro Morata in January but failed to get their man or any other of their targets- which proved to be catastrophic in the Gunners charge for the Premier League title. It seems Arsene Wenger has learnt from his mistakes and the Frenchman is keen to do his business early in the summer window, preferably before the World Cup- but should Wenger go back for Morata?
The 21-year-old has played second fiddle in Madrid for the duration of this season, struggling to get in the team in front of Karim Benzema. However, he has managed to get on the field 19 times and has scored six goals. His return isn’t great, especially for someone playing in a team like Real Madrid but Wenger clearly sees something in him.
The problem is, Arsenal seem to have many striking targets- if the media outlets are to be believed. The Gunners are linked to moves for Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic, as Robert Lewandowski moves to the club from Borussia Dortmund, and they are also lining up a move for Morata’s team-mate Karim Benzema. There’s even rumours circulating that Arsenal have already secured a deal for Newcastle United’s on-loan striker Loic Remy.
It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that we will see two of these targets arrive at the club but if a deal for Remy is already in the bag, then we’re only going to see one more striker arrive. In comparison, it’s clear that Alvaro Morata is inferior to Mandzukic and Benzema- who would also reward the fans that are craving big names.
Morata would be a good fit in the Arsenal squad but with the other targets the club is lining up, Morata seems to be a back-up and therefore we shouldn’t be too pleased to see him arrive, as it would confirm that once again we have missed out on our prime targets. At 21-years of age, Morata can offer something for a longer period than the others but he’s not necessarily the fix Arsenal need.
While Morata would be a good squad player and provide an alternative option to Oliver Giroud, he’s not the first-team signing the club needs. Arsenal are in need of a striker to find the net week after week, with chance after chance- a player that can compete at the top of the goalscoring charts against the likes of Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero. Morata is not that man and he’s unlikely to agree to a move that doesn’t see him guaranteed first-team football.
Morata would’ve been a good signing in January but that doesn’t necessarily mean the same is correct for summer. The Gunners will face stiff competition from the other clubs in Europe to secure a top-name signing in summer but that doesn’t mean the club should settle for second best.
If Morata arrives we shouldn’t be disappointed but we also shouldn’t be over the moon. There’s other targets to chase and prioritise, while the arrival of another youngster is sure to annoy a large portion of the Arsenal fan base- no matter what European elite club they arrive from. Why settle for second-best when we can compete for the best? Especially when we have aspirations of becoming the best, surely we can only achieve that by aiming for the best targets we can possibly attract? Alvaro Morata is simply not the best target and, therefore, should not be targeted- especially at this early stage before we know what’s happening with the top name strikers around Europe.
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Would you be happy if Arsenal signed Morata? Comment below | Photo via Sara Zizza