Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Chuba Akpom. On the face of things Arsenal have a vast array of players who are more than capable of leading the line for them. However two of these players are not conventionally forward players in the sense that Sanchez is better on the wing or behind the striker and Walcott is only ever used reluctantly up front. Moreover Akpom is a youth player and it is unlikely that he will feature in that many games at such a young age. With Welbeck injured and Joel Campbell joining Villarreal on loan, questions are raised over whether Arsenal need a striker in this window.
If you look at the tops around Arsenal they are blessed with at least three top strikers. Man United have Rooney, Falcao and Van Persie. Chelsea have Remy, Drogba and Costa. Man City take this a step further and have four: Agüero, Bony, Dzeko and Jovetić. It is therefore no coincidence that these teams find themselves at the summit of the Premiership and have done consistently for a number of years. Mourinho recognised the need for a striker when he went to Chelsea and therefore bought three top strikers. Man City have recently added Bony and there is speculation that Man United want Cavani. Both Welbeck and Giroud have been very impressive this year with 14 goals combined this year. Along with Sanchez who has 18 goals just by himself. Arsenal do have good options in this area but to truly compete on all four fronts consistently you need three or four quality strikers. It would not hurt Arsenal to bring in one or two more strikers to push Giroud and Welbeck and to add an extra element of fear when sides came to play them.
However it is difficult in the January transfer window with clubs unwilling to sell, except at the wrong price. Players that are usually worth £10 are now worth £20 million. You have to be very shrewd in this market and ensure that the opposing club are trying to rip you off. There are a few options that Arsenal should and would be able to consider this window. Cavani is a name that is also brought up during the transfer window with Arsenal. He is still a very promising striker, who would fit perfectly in at Arsenal. Being in Ibra’s shadow at PSG would mean that he would be willing to leave but Arsenal would have to stump up at least £50million to acquire his services. Jackson Martinez is another name that is constantly touted around Arsenal. The Porto Forward is in blistering form and would again be a good option for Arsenal. At a slightly cheaper price Saido Berahino could be an option. It would be a huge risk for Wenger to take but at only 21 he has shown real promise.
Arsenal do a striker to compete with the top teams in the league but January is not the time that they should be getting him. They have other areas where they need to invest their money such as defensive midfield and in goal and these should be a priority in this window. Welbeck, Giroud are very good strikers and are constantly improving but I would love to see Benzema to come to Arsenal in the summer to really show that Arsenal will properly compete for the premier League title next year.