Do Arsenal need to bring in another striker?
Next to do we need a DM or does Arsene Wenger need to make substitutes earlier in the match, the longing question for Arsenal supporters is whether or not Arsene needs to go out and get another striker to lead the line.
On Tuesday, we looked at the current crop of players and surmised that Arsenal could challenge for the league title this season even if they signed no others. It seems that it was the topic de jour as even Jeremy Wilson took on the subject and probably more skillfully then I did.
He nailed it when he said that at times even the likes of Fergie and Jose held off on bringing in players and letting the players they had at that time grow even further as a group.
Still the question remains, do we need another striker? I have openly pined for an Aguero-type player who is strong and mobile and can terrorize two CBs at will. Unfortunately, those types just don’t grow on trees.
So in lieu of not getting that kind of player what do we need? We have a big physical striker in Giroud, who against strong defenses is able to tussle and use his movement to get free. Additionally, he excels at hold up play and can dish out to midfielders joining the attack or wide players coming to the box. He has some weaknesses, namely his speed and he isn’t as accurate a shooter as some would like but he has a knack for finding the goal when he’s on (and not finding it, when he’s not on.)
The other candidate is Theo Walcott who is getting a chance to show what he can do in that role he has long coveted. Theo is not a physical presence and there are certain defenders that would likely have Theo for lunch if it came to a physical tussle. But against slow defenses, Theo has the ability to exploit that and find himself on the end of passes from the likes of Arsenal’s pass kings.
Theo will never be a bruiser in the box. His game is speed and finesse and he is showing (since his return) a consistent knack to use both to get in behind the defense and score goals. While I never give pre-season friendlies much merit, the ease of which he scored the first goal against Everton, highlights his improved goal scoring ability. Running inside the defender, using his speed to get a step ahead placed him in the perfect spot to latch on to Santi’s sublime pass and score.
His speed terrorized Villa in the FA Cup final and Arsenal were lucky not to be out of site within the first 10 minutes of that match. Looked at against his hat trick against West Brom and it’s clear that Wenger may really be thinking of using Theo and Giroud as a rotating force up front. One that if used rightly could bear significant fruit for the Gunners.
Of course with Theo (moreso than Giroud) the issue is his ability to stay healthy. His return from injury last season was long and he was the freshest of the players towards the end of last season. Theo needs to stay healthy and show this new found penchant for being successful up top can last for more than a few weeks or months. It has to last a season.
There is of course the matter of a contract to figure out and while all signs point to an amicable resolution for both the player and the club, anything can happen in between the months of August and May to change all of that. We at Arsenal are all too familiar with ‘favorite’ players who at the start of the season didn’t look like they would leave eventually leaving. But it is a different time and Theo is getting his chance in the sun. The team being assembled is one of the best assortments of talent he’s likely been around. Given this club boasted Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie in it during his tenure that says a lot.
Of course, depth is always an issue and at one point, Man City looked unstoppable because they were able to roll 4 different forwards up top. Each one allowed City to change the point and focus of their attack as the game called for it. So you can argue that signing another striker would allow Arsenal to essentially do the same thing.
However, I’m not sure we’re far from that. We’ve laid out the case for Theo and Giroud up top, but we’ve left out Danny Welbeck who is still developing himself and offers parts of both Giroud and Theo. So you wonder if as Wenger surveys his attacking options he looks at the 3 and thinks he has enough.
Of course that won’t be enough for many people. To some world class striking options grow on trees and given our new found ‘strength’ in the transfer market we should just do what we need to get us say – Karim Benzema (no I ain’t buyin’ that rumor.) But as we discussed in our last piece on why we’d challenge for the title even without another signing – sometimes you have to look at what you have and go with it.
Yes, it’s a risk. Giroud is hot and cold AND SLOW. Theo has a penchant for long injuries and Welbz is still a developing entity for us. At any point something could happen to any of them but that is a risk all managers take at some point.
So to answer our question – we’d all be okay with a new striker but given the emergence (and health) of the Theo – not getting one wouldn’t be the end of Arsenal’s title challenge hopes.
