There are very few questioning our need for a striker this summer, with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema heavily linked with a move to the Emirates (via the Express). Arsene Wenger apparently has a backup option lined up in case a move for the Frenchman doesn’t work out, with reports suggesting he is keen on bringing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to North London.
Kike Marin, a writer for Spanish publication El Confidencial, claims Wenger is still after his compatriot Benzema, but sees Aubameyang as an alternative.
Wenger still wants to sign a striker: Aubameyang, the alternative to Benzema, his first option. #Arsenal #Dortmund pic.twitter.com/ojPesCy4wy
— Kike Marin** (@Kike_Marin_) August 14, 2015
There are a number of reasons why we should be questioning the validity of his claim, first and foremost because he originally claimed our Benzema alternative was Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
@Arsenal Wenger will try to sign to Benzema #RealMadrid If can not, #Arsenal has a second option: Lewandowski #Bayern pic.twitter.com/1O57zKiZBB — Kike Marin** (@Kike_Marin_) July 23, 2015
Obviously Wenger is entitled to change his mind, and he may well have switched from Lewandowski to Aubameyang. The Borussia Dortmund star has recently signed a new contract however (via BVB.de), with the deal tying him down until 2020.
This doesn’t mean a move is impossible, but Wenger is unlikely to want to pay the inflated fee that will surely come with the new long term contract.
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You could argue that we don’t even need Aubameyang, as he isn’t necessarily much of a step up from Theo Walcott – if he is at all. Both men are pace merchants with excellent finishing, but neither player offers a whole lot more.
We certainly need attacking reinforcements, but is the Gabon international the player we want to see arrive?
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