Spotlight Opinion: Who could replace Van Persie?

The biggest question of the off-season this year is; Will Robin Van Persie be staying at the Emirates? A player who was absolutely key to the 2012 season for Arsenal, he kept fit and netted a league high 30 goals as well as achieving 12 assists, Arsenal’s assist leader. How could we replace such a formidable threat in front of goal? Well, there are a few names that we’re being linked to in the press, but do any of these players have the ability to replace ‘Captain Vantastic’?

 Olivier Giroud

Giroud has been the most linked player to Arsenal in recent months and makes textbook sense for Arsenal to sign for a variety of reasons. The 25 year-old Frenchman would bring height and a physical dynamic to Arsenal in a similar way to Van Persie, along with a similarly effective heading ability. He would be a classic Wenger signing, having just established himself in the French league scoring a league high 21 goals and assisting a further 12 goals, while still somewhat unproven at the highest level, having only made a small appearance in the Europa League this season with Montpellier, scoring once. He is set to take on Karim Benzema for the lead striker role at this years European Championships for France which could be the perfect proving ground for the strikers talents. He would be one of the most cost effective options too with Arsenal reportedly having already approached Montpellier with a deal of £10m plus Marouane Chamakh. However, Giroud does sound very similar to Chamakh in their comparable style of play, along with their lack of experience in a elite tournaments which puts me off the Frenchman slightly. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to observe Giroud’s performances at the Euros to see if he is the real deal and worthy of the Arsenal shirt.

Giroud netted 21 goals in Ligue 1 this season

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Huntelaar has endured a tough time at top clubs in his career, failing to make an impression at Real Madrid and AC Milan in his short time at both clubs. However, a 2010 move to Schalke 04 saw the Dutch international make a return to his Ajax form and last season the 28 year-old netted 29 times in the league and scored a further 14 times in the Europa League, very impressive statistics. He is another tall presence at just over 6 foot and is devastating when in the penalty area, he would bring an almost identical style and presence to Van Persie’s up front and his physical style of play would adapt well to the Premier League.  After Schalke’s strong league performance it may be difficult to prize Huntelaar away, particularly Champions League guaranteed at the German outfit. However, if he did wish to move, his talent’s would not come cheaply, with his price-tag being anywhere upwards of £15m, which would definitely be a stumbling block if Arsenal were to make a move for the Dutchman. As with any player at the Euros this summer, a strong performance could see his price skyrocket, however Van Persie is currently the Dutch first choice striker and may keep Huntelaar out of the first team, keeping his price relativity low.

Huntelaar led the Bundesliga with 29 goals

Fernando Llorente

Llorente has only recently been linked with Arsenal, and even these rumours are questionable, but the Spaniard would fit nicely into Arsenal’s style of play and could be a possible replacement for our captain. Having scored 16 times for Athletic Bilbao this season in the league and 7 times in the Europa League Llorente has proven he has ability to score in one of the toughest leagues in Europe as well as a major European cup. This is reassuring, to replace Van Persie Arsenal need a player with experience and Llorente has plenty,  a 2010 World Cup victory to his name, along with the heartbreak of being runner up in the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals this year. Another tall presence at 6 ft 5 in Llorente is a massive presence in the box and a menace at set pieces, being incredibly dangerous with his heading ability. The 27 year-old is set to play a starring role in the sides Euro 2012 campaign this season with David Villa out and if he impresses the likes of Chelsea and both Manchester sides may muscle us out of a deal for the Spaniard.

Llorente could lead the Spanish attack at the Euros

My personal preference would be Huntelaar, he would be able to slot right into the Arsenal style of play and would be the best direct replacement for Van Persie, however his price is likely to keep Arsenal out of the running for the Dutchman. Llorente is another fantastic player, but I think the competition for a player of his caliber will be fierce and likely price us out of a move.  Grioud is the most likely replacement and despite his talent I would rather not take a risk on an unproven player this summer, with increasing pressure to keep top players and of course to win trophies. Having said that, Van Persie may still sign and continue working his magic on the Premier League and ensuring his status as a true Arsenal legend.

You can watch Giroud’s, Huntelaar’s and Llorente’s goals here and tell us what you think in the comment section or on Twitter.

Transfer Roundup: May 31st

TalkSport have been particularly vocal about potential transfer targets for Arsenal in the past few days, reporting that we are interested in the services of three players. Firstly we have one of last summer’s transfer targets, Marvin Martin. After it was reported that Arsenal were very interested in the French midfielder last summer, nothing materialised of these rumours, however reports of Wenger’s interest in the Sochaux star are starting to surface again. Ranking tenth in Ligue 1 for assists Martin seems like the kind of playmaker Arsenal could use in the midfield, but with Rosicky, Arteta, Ramsey, Song and the returning Wilshire all fighting for places in the first team, a move is unlikely. It’s being reported that along with Tottenham, that Valencia and Dortmund are also interested in signing the 24 year-old, however if Martin’s performances at the Euro’s are impressive, we can expect to see this list of competition grow along with his price-tag.

Possibly the most interesting rumour to surface in the past few days is the news that we are monitoring 22 year-old Yevhen Konoplyanka. Having scored 8 goals in the Ukrainian Premier League this season for Dnipro along with being dubbed the “Ukranian Messi”, the playmaker is attracting interest from other top English sides like Chelsea and Manchester United. Konoplyanka is set to play a starring role in his sides Euro campaign and we will see him face our very own Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain on the 19th of June in his home Ukraine. As with Martin, if his performances at the Euro’s are strong he is likely to attract interest from other big sides and potentially bump his price up, with Arsenal unlikely to get involved in a bidding war. Although Konoplyanka is interested in moving to a top league, he is still somewhat of an unknown entity and his performance at the Euro’s will be very interesting to see.

Finally from TalkSport is the rumour that Tunisian playmaker Youssef Msakni, a player who Wenger admires greatly, is attracting significant interest from Italian side Udinese. 22 year-old Msakni impressed Wenger earlier this year at the African Cup of Nations where he played a key role in getting his Tunisian side to the quarter-finals and could cost as little as £2m. This would be a typical Wenger signing, a young talent with a lot of promise but unproven in an elite league, which I am sure will unsettle many fans and lead to more questioning of the clubs transfer activity. Although investing in the youth and planning for the future is important I think that many Arsenal fans will agree that Arsenal have more pressing transfer targets to pursue this season to make a trophy push next year.

The last rumour of the day is a bit of a strange one, this time coming from the Daily Mail. CSKA Moscow star Seydou Doumbia is allegedly our next transfer target following an incredible season in the Russian Premier League where the Ivory Coat international netted 23 goals. Sounds great right? Well CSKA are placing a £26m price-tag on their prized asset which is sure to crush any interest from Arsenal, especially with Olivier Giroud and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar available for less. What worries me about this story is that with our deal for Podolski having already been wrapped up, we don’t need any more attacking players, unless this is an option for if Robin Van Persie does decide to leave this summer. Hopefully not.

That’s all for today, but I’ll leave you with some footage of  Yevhen Konoplyanka, enjoy!