Malaysian Gooner

So the race is on this transfer window, Arsene Wenger’s aim, to find the bargain buy of the window. He must either be young with a bright future ahead or old enough that he wont hold up the progress of the youngsters. He must also possess good upper body strength, a fair amount of pace and of course the ability to bag lots and lots of goals.

Wenger needs a target man, too many times this season have Arsenal crossed balls into the box only for it to end up at the other end of the pitch. Too many times this season has Arsenal’s lone striker been forced off the ball because when Arsenal launch a break he isn’t strong enough to hold onto the ball while waiting for support. And too many times this season have Arsenal been caught out by set pieces.

The press have thrown the name of every striker they can think of but there are probably 2 or 3 that are likely to join. I’m going to analyze three possibilities; Andre-Pierre Gignac (24, Toulouse), Lacina Traore (19, CFR Cluj) and Carlton Cole (26, West Ham).

Andre-Pierre Gignac

Gignac seems the perfect Wenger signing. French, plays in France, french. He has the upper body strength, the pace and at 6 ft 1 in he isn’t short either. He was the French league’s top scorer with a Toulouse team that was only good enough for 4th spot last season. With an Arsenal team filled with midfield talent capable of defence splitting passes he will surely score more goals. The bad news is that he had such a good season with Toulouse that his price has skyrocketed and it seems unlikely that Wenger will sign him unless Ivan Gazidis has very good negotiating skills.

Lacina Traore

Not much is known of the Ivorian Lacina Traore but the CFR Cluj President has told the press that Arsenal have been in contact. He would probably be the cheapest option at about €4m but there are worries that he will not qualify for a work permit. At a staggering 6 ft 8 in, he will be the only player in English football that Peter Crouch will literally look up to! Capable of player as either a striker or in midfield he has that versatility that Wenger loves and it wouldn’t be surprising if Wenger signed him anyway regardless if he signs another striker this season. Traore seems to be one for the future.

Carlton Cole

Either another story made up by the tabloids or Arsene wants Premier League proven talent. Cole fits the bill, tall, speedy and good in the air. At €10m, he could me a good signing but at 26 he might just be at the imperfectly perfect age for Wenger, as in he might stop the youngsters from growing. Honestly, if Wenger wanted Premiership players, I’d rather go for the available Benni McCarthy. At 32, a provides the short term fix we just might need.