It doesn’t feel like Arsenal’s season has truly begun unless there is speculation over adding a striker to either replace or play alongside striker Olivier Giroud, but on Thursday, one of the Gunners’ primary rivals upped the ante in a big way on the North Londoners.
That’s because Liverpool, eager to replace Luis Suarez, paid a £26.5 million transfer fee for Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who returns to the Premier League after a tumultuous tenure at Manchester City. He has been a bit of a problem child wherever he goes, garnering numerous suspensions and tangling with managers from Roberto Mancini to Jose Mourinho wherever he has gone.
That move not only gives Liverpool the striker that they so desperately need as they try to get over the hump to a league championship this season, but it also raises the stakes in the battle among the top six teams in the Premiership. Manchester City remains as strong as ever, with a solid defense and a dazzling offensive attack. Chelsea is a dominant defensive team that could really come into its own in Mourinho’s second year back with the club.
Tottenham is also looking to show that their big expenditures will bear fruit as they make a run at gaining supremacy over their rivals from Arsenal.
With so many teams loading up for a run at the championship, Arsenal has got to take stock of where they are.
Yes, the offseason signings of Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Debuchy bolstered the club and came as a pleasant surprise to fans who have been yearning for years for Arsene Wenger to really open up his pocketbook. Callum Chambers also has the potential to be a great asset for the future, but if the Balotelli signing shows anything to the Gunners, it’s that their work in rehabbing the roster isn’t done ahead of the transfer deadline.
The question then for Arsenal is this: where exactly should Wenger allocate his resources to strengthening the roster? Sure, signing another striker would address any issues in terms of the team’s ability to finish on the gorgeous passing plays that midfielders like Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil are capable of creating, but the team would be smarter to instead continue their pursuit of a player that can shore up their back defensive line as they look to avoid last season’s calamitous performances against the top-tier teams in the league.
Sporting’s William Carvalho certainly would fit that bill, as the defensive midfielder would be a welcome fit to a team already laden with players capable of moving the ball quickly in transition. He would give the squad the defensive cover they need, and while his asking price certainly would not be on the cheap side, he would be a worthwhile investment.
Other names like Sami Khedira are still being bandied about, but whichever player Wenger feels can best complement his current roster, he needs to make a move quickly. Getting players acclimated with the team’s system is going to be tough with Champions League and tough Premier League fixtures on the docket, so making a move sooner rather than later is imperative.
James Neveau is a sportswriter who covers the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bears for NBC Chicago. You can follow his work here, and you can also follow him on Twitter @JamesNeveau