Should Arsenal bid £28.7m for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been linked to Arsenal

If nothing else, Arsenal are finally being linked with a striker. No, it's not Edinson Cavani or Gonzalo Higuaín or Karim Benzema, but it is a striker who has scored at the Emirates: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. According to the German newspaper Bild, Arsenal have made a bid of some £28.7m for the French striker/winger.

With Borussia Dortmund in a tailspin, we might have pinned a few hopes to Marco Reus, but I doubt that many of us would turn up our noses at Aubameyang, who did after all lead the club in goals (16) and assists (6). To be fair, Reus was hot on his heels despite making far fewer appearances. Reus, however, is valued in the much loftier realm of £50m and is already being wooed by Real Madrid. Aubameyang might not sound quite as sexy, but he might just fit our needs (and budget) far-better.

Let's be clear on one thing before going much further: Bild, the source on this, is not quite the gold-standard for transfer news. They're not quite as good as Sky Sports or the BBC, but they are not nearly as bad as The Sun or El Metro.

That said, it's well worth considering the basket into which we might put our eggs. At £29m, Aubameyang would fit comfortably within our reported transfer kitty of £70m, leaving more than enough room for us to make at least one or two other signings (not counting the presumptive signing of Petr ?ech).

There. Disclaimers done. Back to the man himself.

What can Aubameyang offer Arsenal?

The first thought that comes to mind when mentioning Aubameyang is pace. For as much of that Theo Walcott or Alexis Sanchez might have, Aubameyang seems to have just as much, if not more. Speaking of more, he's bigger than most everyone in the current squad except Per Mertesacker, Wojciech Szcz?sny and Olivier Giroud. I think it's safe to say that he'd win a footrace against any of them by several country-miles.

Imagine an attacking trio of Alexis, Aubameyang, and Walcott. Is there any defence in the world that could deal with that pace? Even if there is such a defence, Aubameyang offers just enough of a physical presence to occasionally play a role similar to the one Giroud offers. Aubemeyang might be slight of frame, but he's shown that he can hold his own over the course of a season.

Will we see Alexis Sanchez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading Arsenal’s line?

However, would this be another case of Arsène Wenger trying to buy at a discount? The going fee for a world-class striker seems to start at almost double that mentioned for Aubameyang. Other strikers, such as Benzema, Cavani, or Higuaín, might only be made available at a transfer fee in the range of £60m or more. That doesn't take into account the weekly wages such players might expect.

Aubameyang's weekly wages are in the £75,000 range, far lower than Benzema (£150,000), Cavani (£160,00), or Higuaín (£115,000). Each of those three might expect or demand a pay rise and automatic top-billing. By contrast, Aubameyang might hope for a pay rise (bringing him towards, if not upwards of, a six-figure weekly wage). That is, instead of a diva demanding to be catered to, Aubameyang might feel the pressure to prove his worth.

Would Aubameyang be the kind of striker who would vault Arsenal towards the top of the EPL, or would he be just another in a long line of Thierry Henry wannabes who leave us fists-clenched and frustrated?