When Arsene Wenger’s Gunners reflect on their 2015/16 campaign, the principal feelings will be those of regret. Finishing above Tottenham on the final day cannot become an excuse to trivialise their failure to stop Leicester City completing the fairytale ending; this was Arsenal’s best chance to win a first Premier League title since the Invincibles, yet they still fell 10 points adrift of the champions in what can only be described as the most frustrating season of the club’s first decade at the Emirates Stadium.
Most agonising for the Gooners, though, is the fact that bulk of their prayers could have been answered with the one missing piece of the jigsaw: a world-class centre-forward.
Sadly, it’s the piece that’s eluded Wenger for the last nine years. Since selling all-time leading scorer Thierry Henry to Barcelona in 2007, the Gunners have failed time and time again in their bid to unearth a new hero. Robin van Persie flirted with the idea of becoming a star, but ultimately didn’t find success until departing for Manchester United.
Meanwhile, a string of substandard names (Chamakh, Gervinho, Bendtner) have all left a lot to be desired. Similarly, unfulfilled potential will be the overriding analysis of Theo Walcott and other promising youngsters whose bright spells have been largely devalued by the extended dark days between.
Current marksman Olivier Giroud has arguably made the best attempt at filling that void that Arsenal have been desperate to plug, with the Frenchman netting a total of 57 league goals in four years at the Emirates. It’s certainly not a bad a return, and much of the negativity landing at his feet is a long way off the mark.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to argue his inclusion amongst the very elite; Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sergio Aguero, Antoine Greizmann and Karim Benzema are all some way ahead of Giroud in both goals to game ratios and overall influence on the pitch. And that’s a very damning fact indeed.
If Arsenal’s aspirations of domestic dominance and continental competitiveness are genuine, buying a world-class central striker this summer is the only option. Without it, their torturous frustrations will continue to devalue the sublime football regularly witnessed at the Emirates under Wenger’s stewardship.
Wenger knows this too; every transfer window sees Arsenal linked with a number of elite No. 9s. It has been the case this season too, with the Gunners linked with star names like Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema. And if the Premier League runners-up ever needed prompting, they only need to look at the heroics of Luis Suarez at Barcelona.
Only the insiders at Arsenal and Liverpool will ever truly know how close the Gunners were to signing the Uruguayan in the summer of 2013, following that infamous £40m plus £1 bid. Nonetheless, it gives a clear indication of Wenger’s understanding of the situation.
The Premier League’s longest-serving manager is one of the most astute in the game, but his failure to find an alternative option in the bridging three-year period has been nothing short of scandalous. To make matters worse, Suarez has been near faultless during his first two years at Barcelona; given the tangible similarities between the styles of those two clubs, it’s a constant reminder of Gunners’ deficiencies.
After playing catchup in his early days at Barcelona, following a suspension that had delayed his debut until late October, Suarez became a key asset in the Blaugrana’s arsenal in 2014/15, establishing himself as a commanding figure as Luis Enrique’s side clinched the treble.
If those performances left Arsenal fans with a bitter taste in their mouth, the 29-year-old’s second season at the Camp Nou can only have amplified the anguish tenfold; an injury in Sunday’s Copa del Rey final may have prevented El Pistolero from reaching the 60-goal landmark but his return of 59 in all competitions even overshadowed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a duo that have dominated the top of Spain’s scoring charts for over half a decade.
In fact, a return of 40 Liga goals saw Suarez become the first man other than Ronaldo or Messi to land the Pichini since compatriot Diego Forlan in 2009. Many fans now believe that the Uruguayan will go on to follow that accolade by ending the Messi-Ronaldo dominance at the Ballon d’Or award ceremony too. Even if he doesn’t, it underlines a sorry case of what might have been for the Gunners.
The added competitiveness of the Premier League may have stopped Suarez hitting the 40-goal milestone; although his return of 31 in his final year at Anfield may suggest differently. Likewise, it would be impossible to argue that the quality of Arsenal’s squad is at the same level of Barcelona. Still, the Uruguayan has epitomised the impact that a lethal goalscorer can have for a fluid passing team. The ship has sailed on the Suarez front, but Wenger cannot afford to ignore the glaring obvious for a single second longer.
As magical as Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester were this season, a world-class striker would have seen Arsenal win the title. WhoScored.com statistics show that Arsenal enjoyed more possession and greater pass completion than any other Premier League outfit in 2015/16 while 75% of their play was carried out in the two attacking thirds.
However, the Gunners failed to score in eight separate matches this term whilst a lack of potency in front of goal additionally cost them points on multiple other occasions. With Suarez (or any other top strikers of the world) amongst their ranks, the Gunners would have been ended their 12-year long wait for the title.
All football fans can appreciate and respect Wenger’s eagerness to bring players through, and there are a number of young stars at the Emirates that could become huge names in future seasons. At this moment, though, the Gunners are now in desperate need of a striker that can add goals immediately. Failure to plug that gap is simply not an option, especially with Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho all preparing for their first summer at their respective clubs.
If Arsenal are going to match or repeat their 2015/16 finish, spending some of that reported £200m transfer kitty will be required. After the formalities of completing Granit Xhaka’s arrival have been finalised, a world-class goalscorer simply has to be at the top of the shopping list.
After year’s of hesitation, there is now a palpable feeling in north London that this is the summer where the manager must act. Otherwise, the trust in Wenger could finally be stretched to breaking point.
Whatever way you look at it, Arsenal missed a glorious opportunity in 2015/16. Frustratingly for their supporters, as has been the case for most of the last decade, they’re arguably just one star striker away from sealing their return to the summit of English football. Next season’s title race will certainly provide a tougher test. But, whether it’s Morata, Aubameyang or someone else, a world-class number nine could fire the Gunners to their first title of the Emirates era.
Mr Wenger, you know what you need to do.
