Arsenal has had a fabulous start to the new Premier League campaign as they sit 5 points clear at the top after 10 games. Not many fans would have imagined this situation after the disastrous Aston Villa result, but the team came together due to the exceptional spirit Wenger mentions in every press conference.
One of the players that have stood out for me this season is Olivier Giroud. He had some unfair critics last season, but I was impressed. Giroud had a notable pre-season as he got on with his job and worked hard even with the not so subtle approach for Suarez.
Wenger believes a decisive factor in Giroud’s improvement is due to the transfer failures in the summer. Speaking after the Norwich game, Wenger said:
"Nobody came in, so you know at the start of the season that at least you get the chance to show how good you are. I always thought that his second season would be the decisive one. We have seen that many times – to adapt to the kind of game we play takes time. I was not too worried when we didn't bring anyone in because I thought he had a chance to develop."
“Nicklas, quickly go warm up…”
Giroud is essential to Arsenal’s pursuit of an overdue trophy and the worst imaginable news for all Arsenal fans would be the news of a long-term injury to the Frenchman. And with the current state of the squad, we all know what that means.
Despite getting rid of a lot of the deadwood in the squad, Wenger was unable to give Nicklas Bendtner the boot. He came under scrutiny during the Chelsea game, although I feel sympathy for him as he was not given much service and Chelsea dominated the game.
Nevertheless, Bendtner is simply not good enough. Neither is the forgotten Yaya Sanogo who is another project for Wenger. Arsenal’s priority this January is an additional striker.
Is Llorente the answer?
Reports are suggesting that the Gunners have already begun talks with Juventus over a loan for the Spanish striker Fernando Llorente. Since his free transfer to the Serie A champions, Llorente’s opportunities have been minimal due to the disposal of Carlos Tevez, Fabio Quagliarella and Mirko Vucinic.
Llorente is a good player, ask any Manchester United fan. However, his lack of playing time in the last year of his contract for Athletic Bilbao would have obviously affected his form and fitness. Would Llorente be able to rediscover the form that helped guide Athletic Bilbao to a Europa League final? I’m not convinced.
It has been reported that it would only be a loan deal in January and that may be the best Arsenal could get. Suarez is not going anywhere, neither is Benzema nor Lewandowski. All those players could potentially become Arsenal players in the summer, but Arsenal needs a short-term solution.
Juventus manager, Antonio Conte, is a big fan of Llorente and he may not be willing to sacrifice one of his goal scorers incase another gets injured. Conte is lucky to have 4 good strikers.
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