A list of five strikers Arsenal should target in the January transfer window.
Olivier Giroud may be saving Arsenal some blushes at the moment thanks to the great form he’s started the season with, but thanks largely to injuries and loss off form elsewhere, it’s painfully clear that the Gunners need another striker.
The signing of Mesut Ozil on transfer deadline day means that Arsenal probably have the best attacking midfield in the league, but what good is that when you have a striker shortage?
5. John Guidetti – Manchester City
The highly rated front man has been at City since joining from Swedish side Brommapojkarna in 2008 at the age of 16, but to date he has made just a single appearance in the City first team.
He spent the majority of last season on the sidelines, and it is still unclear as to whether new boss Manuel Pellegrini sees a future for him at the club, though he had been included as part of the squad that is currently in South Africa for their pre season tour.
He spent a year on loan with Dutch side Feyenoord in 2011/12 where he scored 20 goals in 23 appearances for the Rotterdam outfit to become an instant crowd favourite at De Kuip.
With chances unlikely to come flowing his way at the Etihad coupled with Wenger’s excellent track record with working with talented young players, this could be a match made in heaven, and furthermore, the move would be unlikely to break the bank either.
4. Demba Ba – Chelsea
Ba’s move is very much dependant on how Samuel Eto’o gets on next to Fernando Torres this season, but the writing already seems to be on the wall for Ba, who is now Chelsea’s third choice striker.
His chances aren’t expected to come thick and fast this term and a move away, whether on loan or permanently, will probably be a welcome occurrence.
Ba seems to have buckled under the pressure of playing for a club where success is expected every season. Arsenal suffer under a different form of pressure, a different form of expectation, but Wenger apparently has a plan for him after making enquiries for him toward the end of the summer transfer window.
His form at Newcastle was impressive, and by all rights earned his move to Stamford Bridge, but his move to Chelsea had an air of knee jerk reaction to it. When Chelsea buy strikers, they’re usually pre-established stars with nothing to prove as their reputation precedes them.
However, six goals in 24 appearances for the Blues isn’t good enough and a chance of a fresh start somewhere else may appeal.
3. Stefan Kiessling – Bayer Leverkusen
Kiessling was the top scorer in last season’s Bundesliga, scoring 25 goals in 34 games for Leverkusen and has been one of the club’s most consistent players since joining from Nurnberg in 2006.
He helped the club to a third placed finish last season, meaning that they qualified for the early stages of the Champions League, so Arsenal will need to outline a plan good enough to entice him to the club.
At 29-years-old this could be his last chance to make a move overseas and sample a different culture of football. He has also consistently been one of the most underrated players that Germany has ever produced, hanging up his boots for the German national side in 2010 due to a perceived lack of respect from coach Jogi Low.
He frequently reaches double figures in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts, and already has seven in seven for the current campaign. His intelligence both on and off the ball would be a huge benefit to the Gunners style of play and he would of course fit right in with the rest of the club’s current German contingent.
2. Fernando Llorente – Juventus
The Spanish international has been in talks with English clubs before securing his move to the Serie A champions from Athletic Bilbao, but so far he has made a slow start to life in Italy and has been in startlingly underwhelming form prompting rumours of a winter exit from Turin.
He had featured just once as a late substitute in the side’s first five matches of the season but started against Verona at the weekend and managed to get himself on the scoresheet.
Arch rivals Spurs have been linked with a move for him, though he has moved to distance himself from a switch to White Heart Lane, but Arsenal have Champions League football in which to tempt him.
His size and movement would offer the Gunners something different to what they already have, providing a viable areal threat as well as someone to sweep the box clean of second balls.
1. Leandro Damiao – Internacional
The Brazilian club have already accepted that their star man will be on his way soon, though they have warned potential suitors they will have to pay handsomely to get him, which is probably why he is still at the club.
Southampton led the chase earlier on in the summer, but their interest now appears to have cooled, whilst Marseille have insisted that they would not be able to afford him, instead turning to Evian striker Saber Khlifa, and with Spurs and Napoli utilising other options, that leaves just Arsenal in the hunt.
Damiao has become one of football’s hottest properties after breaking into the Internacional side in 2010. He has made 161 appearances for Colorado, scoring 85 goals. In his short career he’s already added a Copa Libertadores title to his name and was crowned as the top scorer during last year’s Olympic Games. He’d also provide another dimension for Arsene Wenger to play with in attack.
With that said, A number of high profile players have already snubbed a move to the Premier League, but with only Arsenal seemingly left, their luck could finally be in.
Jens Lehmann: Harga Mesut Ozil Kemahalan