Arsenal are not overly endowed in the striking department. Olivier Giroud is the only out-and-out centre-forward the Gunners have at their disposal, although Theo Walcott, Joel Campbell and Alexis Sanchez are all capable of filling in if Arsene Wenger gets desperate.
Signing a defensive midfielder is clearly Arsenal’s no.1 priority for the January transfer window, but it seems that issue has already been taken care of, with the Daily Mail reporting that Basle’s Mohamed Elneny is on the verge of completing a £5m move to North London.
Once Elneny is on board, Arsenal may well turn their attention to their needs in attack.
A tall, confident goal-getter is what’s required. Austin Amutu ticks those boxes. He’s very tall – at 6ft 1in – and he’s scored goals aplenty, albeit in the Nigerian and Malaysian leagues.
And confidence? Amutu certainly has lots of that! Despite having only moved to Israeli outfit Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona last year, he is already confident of securing his dream transfer to Arsenal.
Unfortunately for Amutu, he will have to wait. Wenger is aware of him, but he doesn’t think the Nigeria U23 international is ready for the Premier League, according to AfricanFootball.com, who say the Gunners boss has recommended the player to Ligue 1 side Angers.
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Amutu is very flattered by Wenger’s recommendation, because a move to Arsenal is his dream – a dream he expects to come true in the not-too-distant future.
Speaking to AfricanFootball.com, he said: “It has been my dream to play for Arsenal, they came for my while I was at Warri Wolves and I think it was money that truncated the whole thing, by now I should be playing for Arsenal or any team in England.
“I am happy that a coach like Wenger has interest in me for long, still keeps his eyes on me and has not lost interest.
“I believe I am not far away from my dream of playing for Arsenal. He recommended me to Angers. The French team watched me score in Toto Cup semi-finals.”
Amutu is not a realistic Arsenal target for the time being. With the title race delicately balanced, a striker with Premier League experience is likely to appeal to Wenger.
Watford striker Troy Deeney has only been in England’s top flight for five months, but he has proven that he has what it takes to compete with the big boys, having scored six goals in his last 11 games.
The Daily Star report that Wenger fancies Deeney and could be prepared to test Watford’s resolve with a £20m bid.
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