Despite being constantly linked to the services of Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain throughout the course of the summer transfer window, Arsene Wenger and the Gunners seemingly failed to convert the 27-year-old Argentinean into an official Arsenal player in the end.
The long-term boss at the Emirates somehow didn’t see fit to introduce any more outfield talent among the current options available to him this season, leaving the likes of Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and an injured Danny Welbeck in place to do the business up top.
However, now that the January transfer window is already fast approaching for those competing within the English top-flight, surely Arsene Wenger will finally see fit to add to his squad. Such a notion would seem to make sense considering the recent injury influx to affect the Gunners.
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Even though his once wide-spread reputation has died down a little in recent seasons, Higuain certainly remains one of the standout finishers in the modern era. He may not have been able to grab as many headlines since moving to Napoli from the Bernabeu in 2013, but that doesn’t mean he is entirely finished on the European scene.
Quite the opposite, actually. Gonzalo Higuain has taken to the 2015/16 campaign in fine goal-scoring form at the Stadio San Paolo, his prowess in the penalty-box often proves affective time and time again – and when it comes to linking up impressively with his teammates in the final third – the South American hit-man doesn’t disappoint either.
Although he has apparently stated a desire to remain at Napoli at least for the foreseeable future, it remains possible that Higuain would one day want to test his hand among the Premier League amid all the reported interest.
Having made such a positive case for the current Serie A favourite however, Arsenal must still carefully consider their options this winter. The Gunners don’t have money to burn like each of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea of course, and although the club’s shareholders must put their hand back in their collective pockets sooner rather than later, Arsenal will only suffer in they don’t sign the right players this season.
One of the last major incidents that we all remember from Higuain came in the 2014 World Cup final after all. Had the French-born Argentinean international not dramatically fluffed his lines when possession was unforgivably given away by the Germans just in front of Manuel Neuer’s penalty-box – the current Napoli striker could be talked of as a World Cup winner right in the here and now. Arsenal’s potential reservations over Higuain could nonetheless run much deeper than that however…
Gonzalo Higuain would go down as a great asset for any top-flight team, that much seemingly goes without saying. Yet because his transfer fee would likely arrive in pretty sizable form to say the least, with his very best days arguably remaining firmly behind him with all things considered – does the striker really represent the right fit for Arsenal?
Someone like Edinson Cavani – a powerful battler up-top who also displays a vast amount of pace and manoeuvrability inside the final third – could be exactly what Arsene Wenger requires this January. Should Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema suddenly make himself available as well, Arsenal fans could easily be gutted to miss out on the Frenchman’s services through the potential capture Gonzalo Higuain instead.
The current Napoli centre-forward would admittedly display some vastly improved finishing and technical ability in front of goal at the Emirates – offering a distinct update on the likes of Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud no doubt – but he could just as likely turn out a very isolated figure at Arsenal, due to his overall lack of pace and mobility in 2015/16.
Arsenal should therefore keep their options open this winter, not get tied down to any particular transfer saga just yet, and only move for Gonzalo Higuain if the deal feels definitely right for the club. There may ultimately be several other top class options available by the time the January transfer window finally opens…
Yet if you were to hypothetically offer Gunners fans the chance to see both Gonzalo Higuain and Alexis Sanchez up top for their side this season, with Mesut Ozil pulling the strings just behind of course, few of the Emirates faithful would likely turn down such a stark improvement.
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