Friday, January 18th, 2013 « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager
Theo has signed as Mr Wenger said he would, and the noisy anti-Arsenal groupings are protesting, following the lead given them by the national press.
But meanwhile what of the Uruguayan, Edinson Cavani, the name mentioned more than most in recent days as a possible transfer.
He played for Montevideo from the age of 12, moving up through the youth teams before getting to the first team seven years ago.
After that it was Palermo, and the start of some amazing goals that on one or two occasions remind a little Van Basten. In April 2010, he signed a four year contract with the club. But within three months he signed a five year deal with Napoli in a complex loan and option arrangement. The next contract was designed to keep him with Napoli until 2016.
This season he has carried on doing what he always does – scoring goals, including four in one match in November in the Europa League.
He is overtly Christian being a member of the Evangelical wing of the church and is married. He has played first team international football for Uruguay since early 2008.
Overall he has played over 300 first team games and scored over 150 goals – which is a fairly handy average to have.
But the question comes back to the headline. Today it is confirmed that Theo has signed a deal. Do we need Cavani as well?
It seems to me that our problem at the moment is the lack of the final goal to turn draws into victories – so having yet another striking option would seem a good idea. But can we accommodate the two centre forwards we have plus a third, all of whom would expect to be playing down the middle in every game?
Meanwhile it has been delightful in recent days to see the press follow the Untold lead not just in refereeing issues, but also noting that Jack Wilshere is mixing his midfield work with a relish for being a perfect number 10. Put Jack in the mix with one of our strikers or Cavani, and that is a fairly awesome combination.
Ultimately up front the desire must always be to have another Henry, Pires and Bergkamp. Are we close to having such a trio?
Henry became a centre forward aged 23, exactly as Theo has done, and Henry took another season to adjust to his new role. Pires learned to play an alternating role with Henry (moving into the centre when Henry went for a wander down the wing) later in his life – aged about 26 I seem to remember. If we have someone who can do this in the different formation we play today it presumably is Podolski.
Bergkamp lost his way in Italy and was jeered and booed at every turn, but eventually returned to genius with Mr Wenger to guide him. There’s no comparison of age there, with Jack emerging as a real number 10 at a very early age, but the comparison of styles is just starting to be seen. And as I say for once, having beaten the press to commentary on the issue, they are all tagging along behind.
Which doesn’t get me any closer to the question of whether we need Cavani or not, but I am suspicious that we probably don’t and that he was only on the skyline because Theo might ultimately not sign.
I suspect there will be some signings in the last week of the transfer month, but I rather think they will not be in terms of an out and out centre forward.
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