Centre-forwards are always the most overvalued men on the market but, with options drying up, the Premier League giants might have more luck looking inwards
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Benzema? Cavani? Arsenal & Man Utd in frustrating hunt for world-class striker |
Last year's Premier League top two, Chelsea and Manchester City, have that sort of presence. Diego Costa scored 20 goals in his first season in England despite injury troubles, while Sergio Aguero's athleticism and lethality make him the best striker – perhaps the best player – in the country.
Neither Arsenal nor Manchester United can match them in that department – yet. But these two giant clubs are more likely to endure a long and ultimately frustrating summer in their pursuit of the ideal centre-forward.
Arsene Wenger has already begun to address the turning of the Gunners from a good team into a very good one with the recruitment of Petr Cech in goal. Up front, however, Olivier Giroud has been straddling that line for several seasons.
In theory, the former Montpellier man ticks most of the boxes as a strong but technically proficient lone striker who can provide a focal point for the creativity behind him. In practice, however, a few too many of his goals come in the routine 2-0 wins against those a level below. A few too many of his biggest games are accompanied by his biggest misses. Nineteen goals across all competitions are not the numbers of a striker in the 'elite' category.
Over at Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal has just parted ways with two of last season's first-choice strikers, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao. It leaves him with just Wayne Rooney (who played nearly as many games last season in midfield as he did up front), Javier Hernandez (who last term was shunted out on a largely unsuccessful loan to Real Madrid) and James Wilson (a 19-year-old afforded two starts in 2014-15) in his stable of attackers.
Of those, only Rooney has a record of regularly scoring goals at the top level and, even then, his performances have been patchier in recent years.
Van Gaal has bought impressively so far this summer, with wideman Memphis Depay joined by right-back Matteo Darmian and a new central-midfield pairing of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger to immediately rival any in the league. But his hints at a "surprise" new striker may have to come to fruition if that potential is to be turned into enough goals to challenge for the title.
The idea, for now, is to spread the goals around the attack. Pedro has been identified as United's latest target and his presence on the right of a 4-3-3, with Rooney central and Depay on the left, means Van Gaal is willing to start the season with just three central strikers (including Wilson and Hernandez).
And is there actually anyone out there who fits the bill as an attainable, world-class frontman? Is there anybody for either team who could guarantee an improvement upon, or even simply equivalent cover for, Giroud or Rooney? It would appear that there is none, much less any value.
One by one, the already small handful of options doing the rumour rounds is dwindling.
Edinson Cavani's agent has poured cold water on talk of an exit from Paris Saint-Germain as space opens up to play his natural position, while highly-rated Lyon star Alexandre Lacazette is adamant that he wants to stay exactly where he is.
Arsenal have been linked with Karim Benzema almost constantly during Giroud's tenure at the Emirates Stadium and, though Wenger, as ever, remains coy on the subject of the Real Madrid striker, Goal understands that the north Londoners are prepared to wait until the end of the window to get him, when conditions may be more favourable.
With 133 goals for the Blancos, the France international is the only linked name who would offer any kind of guarantee of quality but there would appear to be almost zero incentive for him to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, save a sudden and profound aversion to sunny days.
Though not as crucial to Madrid as Cristiano Ronaldo – who is? – Benzema has scored at exactly one goal every two games for them over the five seasons after his quieter 2009-10 debut. Although, should Rafa Benitez move Gareth Bale and/or Ronaldo into central roles, as has been mooted, an opportunity may arise for the Frenchman's suitors. Even then, his loss even as cover would only prompt the same questions for the Spaniards as Arsenal and United face now.
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