Arsene Wenger has stated that the Gunners will be ready to invest in strikers this summer amidst rumours linking them with a move for Alexandre Lacazette.
Aside from coming close to sealing a deal for Leicester City starlet Jamie Vardy, Arsenal haven’t made any significant leeway in their attempts to bring in a top-class striker to the Emirates. The Gunners have, however, signed 20-year-old Takuma Asano from Sanfrecce Hiroshima who in theory is a forward, but probably not the kind Arsenal fans wanted.
The Japanese forward maybe a good investment for the future, but that hasn’t done much to convince the Frenchman’s detractors at the club. Wenger, has over the past year, divided opinion among the club’s supporters over his future at the club, with many calling for the 66-year-old’s dismissal. Arsenal have lot of quality in midfield, however they have lacked a striker who would consistently put to use, the good service he gets from midfield.
“Money not an issue”
Wenger’s apparent lack of conviction in roping in a world-class striker who would deliver almost every week may well have cost Arsenal a Premier League title or two in the past few seasons. The fact that the North Londoners have failed to put their money and brand pull to good use to sign strikers of their choice, is something that has annoyed the club’s loyal band of supporters.
However, Wenger has recently come out and reassured supporters that the Gunners will spend big on a striker this summer but insisted that the potential signing should have sell-on value. These fresh statements from the manager add spice to Arsenal’s pursuit of Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette and Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi. The two strikers have been fervently linked with a Premier League move all summer and it appears Wenger’s side should complete either signing soon, if they want to stave off competition.
Speaking after Arsenal’s 8-0 thrashing of Norway’s Viking FK, the boss was quoted as saying,”It’s not the prices, it’s the players. The money is never a problem if you have to pay what is requested. The price of a player is down to four ingredients; one is the talent, two is his age, three is how much you expect him to improve your team, and four is his resale value.”
“At the moment I’m focused on the players we have. Today we didn’t have Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka and Alexis Sanchez, who will play [against Manchester City] on Sunday. We still have Mesut Ozil at home, and Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny too.”
Whether there is any substance to rumours linking the Gunners to Lacazette is a story only time will tell, but if Wenger harbours any dreams of ending his illustrious career as Arsenal manager on a high, he will have to sign a world-class striker to aid their challenge for silverware next season.
