It is a common opinion that Arsenal would have won the Premier League this year if they had a world-class striker.
In Mesut Ozil, the Gunners arguably have world football’s finest creator of chances, but without a top-notch goal-getter to finish them, the German’s craft is largely wasted.
When Olivier Giroud – a man who had recently gone 15 league games without scoring – bagged a hat-trick at the weekend, Gooners were torn.
Yes, they were pleased to see their team win 4-0 against Aston Villa. In fact, they were delighted because the result saw then finish above Tottenham Hotspur. But some were also worried. They were worried that Giroud’s spontaneous show of class was going to convince Arsene Wenger that he does not need to buy a frontman this summer.
However, reports in Italy claim that Arsenal are trying to buy a new forward, for big money too. The bad news is that his goals record is inferior to Giroud’s!
According to Corriere dello Sport, the Gunners have offered €65m for Juventus star Alvaro Morata.
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Converted, €65m works out at around £50.9m, which would shatter Arsenal’s transfer record – set when Mesut Ozil arrived from Real Madrid in 2013.
That is a lot of money for a 23-year-old who only scored seven times in 34 Serie A games this season.
Yes, Morata was often played out wide. Indeed, more than half of his appearances came off the bench. But Arsenal need guaranteed goals, not more potential.
As well as his seven goals, Morata provided eight assists. In comparison, Giroud scored 16 goals and came up with six assists in 38 Premier League games, of which he started 26.
Morata is not the answer.
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