On the Hunt for Huntelaar
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the Dutchman affectionately known as “the Hunter” could be the first key Arsenal signing of the January window if rumors are true.
Huntelaar has long been rumored to be an Arsenal target as the club’s lack of fire power grew more and more evident this fall. Now, according to L’Equipe (the same source that had Cazorla and Giroud signing before anyone else) is reporting that Arsenal is close to landing the player.
The signing could be a very shrewd piece of business for Arsenal as the Dutchman heads into the final six months of his contract at Schalke. The reported fee for Huntelaar could be around £4-£6 million, and when you figure in a salary of around £85k per week the final deal could be around £17.5 mill (amortised over the length of the contract).
For a player who has no trouble finding the back of the net, in my opinion – it’s a steal.
The Dutchman defies the current idea that a fox in the box poacher is no longer relevant in the modern game. In the year’s Champion’s League alone, he remains the only player this season to score in every match of the group stages.
He knows what his job is and he revels in it. Ruud Van Nistlerooy in an interview used to say that he became addicted to the sound of the ball in the back of the net. In an interview with UEFA.com it was something that Huntelaar agreed with –
“When you hear it you spend the whole of the next week longing to hear it again,” he said. “It’s like the elixir of life.”
The signing of Huntelaar would give Arsenal a player who is in the form of his career. In 2011/2012 he had 44 goals in all competitions (Bundesliga, Europa Cup, and German Cup). This season he already has 10 goals in all competitions.
The Hunter’s nickname is well earned having for the most part been successful wherever he had gone. Starting off at PSV and bouncing around to a couple other clubs in Holland, he finally landed at Heerenveen where he netted 33 goals in 46 league games. This led to a move to Ajax where he scored a stunning 76 goals in 92 league games.
Again, his prolific scoring ability led to his being signed by Real Madrid in 2009. However, a misunderstanding in UEFA’s registration rules meant he could not play in the Champion’s League for Madrid and he was subsequently moved after 7 months. It should be noted that in 13 matches he played for Madrid he scored 8 times.
A subsequent move to Milan also didn’t end well and it wasn’t until he landed in Germany that the striker truly found his form again netting 48 times in 47 starts.
Huntelaar is a strong man in the box. He heads the ball exceptionally well, and has a shot that can come off of either foot. Bernd Shuster likened his ability to that of Marco Van Basten, a comparison that KJH welcomed.
“He was a striker, and it was great to train with him because he gives such good tips,” says Huntelaar who trained under Van Basten at Ajax.
Under Schalke manager Huub Stevens, Huntelaar is given the freedom to play and is this trust in Huntelaar’s abilities that has allowed the player to flourish. It is also why I think he would flourish under Wenger.
Wenger is notorious for his perceived lack of tactical nous. However, one of the benefits of the Wenger system (whatever that is) is the fact that he trusts his players with the freedom to ply their trade on the pitch. His training is all about that It promotes players making the right choices. If Wenger is bringing him in, it’s because he knows he needs that menacing person to keep defenses honest and put a little fear that teams felt when Drogba was on the pitch.
Arsenal don’t have that kind of player right now.
This isn’t to say that Huntelaar is the league’s next Drogba. No, Huntelaar is quick and strong but not on the same level that Drogba in his prime was. However, with the ball at his feet or in the air Huntelaar is always a threat to score. Someone like this, like Drogba or Van Persie is what Arsenal need right now.
However, the signing only works if the midfield and wing supply chain is good. Olivier Giroud isn’t a poor signing. The problem I see here is that we aren’t playing to his strengths and when we do our crosses are poor or our support has been lack luster.
It makes no sense signing a player like Huntelaar if these areas don’t improve.
Some people question signing a twenty-nine year old to what would amount to a 3-4 year deal. These are the same people who probably complain we don’t have enough experience in the squad. As I mentioned earlier Huntelaar is a shrewd signing. Arsenal can get him on the cheap and there is no worry of jetting off to another club as this is likely his last big contract.
I have an added bonus that I keep pointing out – on the international scene he is competing for time against Robin Van Persie and it has built into a rivalry that as can best be described is “unfriendly.” It wouldn’t hurt to have someone on the squad that wants to show that he can be just as good if not better than the former Arsenal man.
Other tidbits:
Looks like Henry will defintiely be coming back for a third stint at Arsenal. The word is that his first game could be the League Cup tie against Swansea. However, this deal may be slightly different than last seasons. Word is that both Henry and Arsenal are pushing the Red Bulls and MLS to make the deal last until May – through the end of the Premier League season. This is being reported in both the US and England. If so it would then give Arsenal Henry, Huntelaar (assuming he signs) and Giroud as options up top.
Henry has shown last season and even in his MLS play that while the silky moves of his glory years may have faded, the brain and the shot of the Champion still remain. Plus having him around adds the leadership factor that I feel is still missing from the club. Finally, he could also be a fundamental link between the coaches and the players acting as a teacher for the players and a conduit for the coaches to make sure their message is getting through.
Finally, Arsenal did look likely to be in for West Ham’s Mohamed Diame. However, during West Ham’s 3-2 loss to Liverpool yesterday, Diame went out with a leg injury that will now keep him out for up to 3 months. Now, depending on how jaded you are, it may just say that he is more likely to sign for Arsenal under those circumstances. However, the strong interest the club had in him, goes to show that there is continued interest in strengthening aspects of the midfield, especially in the defensive holding area.
Until next time, stay Goonerish!!
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If we’re talking January transfer rumors (rumours?) I like Nani for twenty million better than Hunterlaar and Henry on another round of the ego tour. Does anyone know why Nani’s been frozen out at ManU given that 2 years ago he was their top player?
I’m sure this will be buried shortly (don’t we play a match in about an hour and a half?) but I think it’s strange that we’re looking at players who have “failed” at big clubs. What it says to me is that the market for younger players coming up is getting very, very thin given that PSG, City, Chealsea, Barca and Madrid can skim the cream. That leaves the tournament stars (Arshavin, Suarez, for example) playing in much weaker leagues where techical ability plus a week or two of peak fitness can sell. Injury history is a huge thing and well beyond the realm of the casual observer. Torres sounded like a good idea but he clearly hasn’t been able to run like he did before getting injured in Spring 2010. Is Nani suffering the same fate?
Hunterlaar leaves me flat. In the same period where RVP struggled with injury he couldn’t establish himself as the focal point of the Dutch offense. Of course NOBODY will ever actually see a decent pass from Arjen Robben, so it’s none too easy. To me, Affellay or Farfan seem better bets if we’re raiding the team that beat us in the group. For that matter, I have to agree with Stag that this smells of smokescreen. Why would we buy a CL tied guy and why would he come before trying to get his old team into the round of 8? If anything, maybe we can nail him down as Henry’s replacement for the summer….
Enough said. Here’s hoping Arshavin at least gets a run out tonight. Against the likes of Bradford maybe the haircut (nobody plays with their head so focused on their own feet….) can do some damage….
so we are going to bring in Henry and Huntelaar…?
first of all, any rumor of a big name to Arsenal, and I am immediately thinking SMOKE SCREEN… probably put out there by the club… so it keeps the fans off the club’s back.
We are rumored to be in for so many players its incredible… I think the club want that.
secondly… two more strikers… just what we need.
just as you noted, … who is getting them the ball?
we are losing the battles in midfield… its where the game is won and lost for the most part…
and we have still never addressed the Patrick Vieira role.
I mean, we had the chance for about 3 years straight, to get Yaya Toure, but Wenger passed on him, sold Kolo, went with Gallas, then jettisoned him too… shrewd business, right?
so we are all set on defense and keeper?
we’re really solid back there!
I would say its likely we MAKE MONEY in the January transfer window.
I look for Theo to be sold to Liverpool… thus improving another EPL team we are competing with… and Sagna will probably be sold to the highest bidder as well.
what’s that? another 20 Million in the bank?
then we’ll float names out for most of the month… re-sign Thierry, and Diaby and Rosicky will be like new signings, when they return from injury.
8th place, here we come!
Huntelaar’s success at Arsenal, should he sign, is likely to be highly random. Wenger seems to have a light touch with tactics and shaping the team – hence our perrenial grumbling about problems that never go away. The obvious conclusion is they don’t go away because they don’t ever get intentionally addressed. Problems are ‘team problems’ not specific issues that individuals are accountable for. That’s Wenger’s philosophy not Ferguson’s.
In this context, new players are a bit at the mercy of (i) the team, and (ii) their ability to cut a successful space for themselves in the position Wenger slots them. Take Arshavin, talent? No doubt. But how does one explain the manner in which he has been employed by Wenger. Never allowed to be a playmaker, even when there was opportunity, then being flogged as a temp-striker. Go figure. Why didn’t Wenger try Arshavin out in a Bergkamp role – he’s probably the only player we’ve had with a similar playmaking vision?
So back to Huntelaar. He’s clearly cut a role for himself at Schalke 04 and has great confidence, but that confidence could be gone very quickly if he changes environment and as you warn Mike he doesn’t get the service he needs. Huntelaar to me is a signing with similar traits to Podolski, both players that had huge success early in their careers, disappointment mid-career with big name clubs, and then refound themselves at Schalke 04 and Koln respectively. Podolski hasn’t exactly set the world alight so far and there is a real danger Huntelaar could have a similar experience.
So it begs the question why? Why can’t very talented strikers integrate and have success at Arsenal these days? The first answer will be the “it takes time to adjust to the EPL”. And that offers some truth. But I fear it is deeper and more a matter of two things. First, a sense of ongoing transition – where several iterations of ‘a team’ have come and gone without ever taking root. And second, Wenger seems to be in something of a confused state with regard to the style he wants from his sides these days. Fast or slow? Possession-rich or nore counter attack? Ground based or more aerial threat?
Can you answer any of these questions with certainty? I sure can’t. With Fabregas at the foci we seemed wed to a slow possession game which we still suffer the legacy of (lateral passing across the opposition box). But Wenger seems to have morphed a little and has for a number of years signed big strikers who have an aerial threat – the answer is why? They’re only useful if, as Mike aludes, you have talented crossers and some quickness in your attacking play (not necessarily uber quick players). Even now our play hasn’t really developed the speed we need despite the flashes of hope. Neither have we got really good crossers or do we seem to practice crossing much. So why the big boys up front? And where does Huntelaar fit with Podolski and Giroud?
I’m not against Huntelaar, I think he is a talented player who in the right team (like Schalke 04) is clearly capable of finishing to a world class standard. But, for him to succeed I think we need to develop a more rapid style of play that moves the ball through (and over) the opposition team much faster than we typically do. Huntelaar isn’t a guy that wants to arrive static in the opposition box and wait for someone to thread a ball through. He wants the opposition to be in some disarray and under pressure, coming to think about it, so does Podolski.
@DAG,
Neither Henry or Huntelaar checks the right boxes for me.
Huntelaar is far too much like Giroud. He is fairly static, excellent header and relatively clinical finsher but has never shown the propensity to play anywhere else on the pitch other than as a central striker. Especially since Arsene seems to have gone away from a 4-4-2 it just doesn’t make sense.
What we need is a Aguero, Cavani, Suarez, Falcao type who can stretch defenses, drop deep and initiate moves, beat people one on one with ball wizardry, play some defense, has pace and can score goals. Direct opposite of Huntelaar.
Henry can have just as much influence by training with the team, as he does now, being in the dressing room, etc without being signed. he has lost his pace, could never play defense and teaming him up with Poldi and Giroud diminishes us tremendously. At best, he is an impact sub who will once again leave a vacuum in the team when he goes back to the Red Bulls next season. Why not get another good striker like Dema Ba, etc who can not only have an immediate impact but will have jelled with the team by the end of the season and who can come out running next Summer. That makes a whole lot more sense to me, rather than patching gaps which should never have been there in the first place.
BTW: Rumors that Gustavo from Bayern could be available for under 10 mill is trolling around. That would be a great addition to the MF as he technically excellent, has a good shot, plays with both feet, creative, versatile enough to play anywhere in the MF outside of CAM and prefers the DM role. Yup, I know, only rumors.
Just getting BA and Gustavo in January would be a good transfer window and we could focus on bringing in a world class striker and MF, and a classy,versatile CB in the Summer.
Wenger has a limited time to put things right.MC for all their possession were hit by a speedy counter . Arsenal play in a similar fashion and have been undone on many occasions by Chelsea and MU.
Another hting is playing players out of position. Ramsey is not a winger yet he is deployed in that role. Yher are many instances suffice to highlight these.These could be some of the reason why the gunners can’t get going.