What is the Plan B to Suarez?

Do you remember when the first Suarez to Arsenal rumour broke out, where the bookies suspended betting due to large amounts of bets somewhere in Spain?Yeah, well at that moment I laughed all interest off and said we’d have no chance of signing the Uruguayan. Over the last few weeks that interest has become concrete since becoming public it has turned into an absolute mess. My stance hasn’t really changed despite the interest and I still feel we have pretty much no chance of signing Suarez, if I had to give it a percentage, I’d say 10%, and that’s being generous.

I’ll tell you why, Liverpool are taking the stance we should’ve taken in regards to Van Persie and I believe they will not sell to us. People will say ‘well what about Torres to Chelsea, but I can’t see Liverpool making that mistake a second time and I genuinely think they believe we’re more of their rivals than Chelsea were.

For those reasons it has lead me to think about the possible plan B’s there may be available. With Higuain, Jovetic and Cavani already gone, and Benteke just signing a new deal, it leaves quite slim pickings and puts us in a quite a worrying situation with just Giroud and Sanogo as our recognised strikers. Hopefully I will be proven wrong about Suarez, so therefore this list will be completely irrelevant. But just in case, here are several targets Wenger may be looking at as his Plan B.Robert Lewandowski

Age – 24

Club – Dortmund

12/13 League Apps – 31

12/13 League Goals – 24

12/13 League Assists – 5

Much speculation has been made of the Polish talisman’s future at Dortmund, with Lewandowski’s very publicly expressed desire to join Bayern Munich this summer. After losing Mario Gotze to their Bundesliga rivals, Dortmund will not want to lose another star name, especially in the same window. If we fail to land Suarez, Lewandowski is probably the 2nd most complete striker we could pursue. However Lewandowski is probably the least likely target on this list to actually join the club. Dortmund will be very reluctant to sell and Robert seems to have his heart set on a move to Bayern Munich. So on that premise Lewandowski will be staying put.

Pablo Osvaldo

Age – 27

Club – Roma

12/13 League Apps – 29

12/13 League Goals – 16

12/13 League Assists – 2

Unless you’re a keen viewer of Serie A you may not know too much about Pablo Osvaldo. The Italian international has been in the English press of late linking him with a move to Fulham, as well as Arsenal. Osvaldo is quick, strong and hardworking, and has just come off the back of his best Roma season after joining them from Espanyol in 2011.

Osvaldo is capable of playing wide left as well as up front and was touted as a possible replacement for Gervinho, who has it happens has of course just joined Roma. Osvaldo would cost about £9m and would bring baggage just like Suarez, with Pablo being involved in several incidents during his time as a professional footballer, being sent off 9 times in 6 years. Osvaldo would be a decent acquisition out wide, but as our main striker, I have my doubts over his temperament and ability to be able to do it week in week out, the quality is there but is his mental game just as strong?

Stephan El Shaarawy

Age – 20

Club – AC Milan

12/13 League Apps – 37

12/13 League Goals – 16

12/13 League Assists – 4

The Italian wonder kid El Shaarawy is without a doubt one of world football’s hottest properties, after making his breakthrough season last year with Milan, where he made his mark with his extreme pace and excellent technique. 16 goals last season, 19 in all competitions certainly but Stephan’s name on the map and he has been linked with a host of clubs this summer, including moves to the Premier League.

El Shaawary has pledged his allegiance to AC Milan and has said he wants to stay for years to come, but if Arsenal wanted to test AC Milan’s resolve, who of course aren’t the same global powerhouse as they were a few years ago, Stephan could well be a realistic prospect. El Shaarawy wouldn’t be cheap, but at 20 years old you are paying for the potential and under Arsene Wenger he could well become one of the best strikers on the planet.

I’m sure the interest is there from Arsenal, with Wenger already expressing his interest of the player in December. It would be an excellent coup from Wenger, the only risk being would be his age, but if he is good enough he is old enough, watch this space.

Erik Lamela

Age – 21

Club – Roma

12/13 League Apps – 33

12/13 League Goals – 15

12/13 League Assists – 5

After an excellent second season in Serie A with Roma, Erik Lamela has been widely acclaimed as one of the stars of the future. At only 21 years old the Argentinian is blessed with great guile, pace, skill and fantastic dribbling. Spurs have been heavily linked with Lamela as a direct replacement for Bale and while Lamela isn’t an out and out striker, he is very similar to Suarez in playing style and physique and can play up top.

Lamela has 2 caps for Argentina and has just completed his second season with Roma after a big money move from River Plate. 15 goals in 33 games is no mean feat, but I suppose question marks could be raised over whether he is ready to lead the line for us. I expect Lamela to stay at Roma for the next season at least, but certainly keep your eyes on this young man.

Edin Dzeko

Age – 27

Club – Man City

12/13 League Apps – 28

12/13 League Goals – 14

12/13 League Assists – 3

Speculation linking Edin Dzeko away from Man City has died down recently, but with the acquisitions of Negredo and Jovetic, Dzeko will be the 4^th choice striker at City. Dzeko has been used as a bit part player by City and that doesn’t look set to change this season. Whilst Dzeko would be a quality addition to any club in the world, he isn’t what we need. The Bosnian international is too similar to Giroud and wouldn’t bring the variation, pace and craft that Suarez would.

Leandro Damiao

Age – 24

Club – Internacional

12/13 Apps – 43

12/13 Goals – 24

Long term Spurs target Damiao has been attracting interest from all over Europe and he seems destined to leave this summer, but where to? Damiao is powerful and quick and has an excellent goal scoring record in Brazil, with 83 goals in 149 games for Internacional.

He has reportedly been close to signing for both Spurs and Napoli, as well as turning down Southampton this summer. Damiao definitely has high hopes for signing for a big club, but I doubt that club will be Arsenal, inexperienced and untested in Europe, Damiao isn’t quite what we need right now.

Diego Costa

Age – 24

Club – Atletico Madrid

12/13 League Apps – 31

12/13 League Goals – 10

12/13 League Assists – 7

Diego Costa has continued his gradual progression in Spanish football and the Brazilian striker has just come off the back of his first full season in an Atletico Madrid shirt, in which he impressed and showed the world what he is capable of netting 10 times in the League last year, earning himself a call up to Scolari’s Brazil squad.

Diego Costa isn’t your 30 goal a season man quite yet, but could be capable of such a feat if played in the right system. Liverpool have apparently bid £22m for the Brazilian, either as a replacement for Suarez (whether he stays or goes), or to play with Suarez. Strong and quick he would be a good addition to most teams squads, but at the moment he doesn’t guarantee you goals, which is a problem for me, so he wouldn’t be a target of mine.

Adrian Lopez

Age – 25

Club – Atletico Madrid

12/13 League Apps – 32

12/13 League Goals – 3

12/13 League Assists – 1

The numbers look truly awful, and they are awful, but certainly aren’t a reflection on the Spaniards talent. Arsenal were linked to Adrian Lopez for quite some time last season and understandably we fans turned our noses up at the idea. With 19 goals in all competitions the season before last, this season was supposed to be the season Adrian Lopez built on that start with Atletico and push on.

But this season Adrian failed to hold down a regular spot, with the majority of his appearances coming off of the bench. Technically sublime and very quick, Lopez has the qualities you’d want off of your forward man. Lopez is capable of playing out wide also. However after last season’s poor showing I very much doubt whether Lopez would be on Wenger’s mind as a potential plan B to Suarez.

Burak Yilmaz

Age – 28

Club – Galatasaray

12/13 League Apps – 30

12/13 League Goals – 24

Burak Yilmaz has been a goal scoring revelation in Turkish football in recent seasons, scoring 80 goals in his last 3 seasons with Trabzonspor and Galatasaray, as well as 8 more for the Turkish national team. Yilmaz impressed in Europe last season also scoring 8 goals in 9 games. Quick and a deadly finisher, Yilmaz has rightly so attracted a lot of interest from big European teams.

Liverpool have been rumoured to be interested in the ever improving Turk. At 28 years of age, the time could be right for Yilmaz to make his move away, but after no experience in any of the big European Leagues, it would be a big risk to take, and a risk that I’m not sure Wenger would be contemplating.

Jackson Martinez

Age – 26

Club – Porto

12/13 League Apps – 30

12/13 League Goals – 26

Porto seem to have this incredible knack of replacing one world class striker with a prospective new one. After selling Hulk and Falcao, Porto have unearthed another South American gem in Columbian Jackson Martinez. Blessed with an eye for goal and great physical structure, Martinez has been a goal scoring threat throughout his career, capping off his greatest season so far with 34 goals in 43 games, helping Porto to win the Portuguese title.

Porto fans must surely be worried about speculation linking Martinez away from the club, with Napoli reportedly interested, but with their record of signing strikers, I’m sure they’ll find a replacement. It’s always a risk to sign a player after one big season in Europe, and for that reason alone I’d be put off, but the lad seems to have it all.

Karim Benzema

Age – 25

Club – Real Madrid

12/13 League Apps – 30

12/13 League Goals – 11

12/13 League Assists – 11

Not the first Real Madrid superstar we’ve been linked with this summer and this one certainly holds some weight. Arsenal for the last few years have been reported to have heavy interest in the Frenchman, with Wenger said to be a massive fan.

With Liverpool reluctant to sell to their ‘direct rivals’ it could well be a case of Real Madrid signing Suarez and Benzema going to Arsenal, which has been reported in the French press over the last couple of days. Benzema and Higuain very much shared the central striking role last season and Benzema’s goal scoring record pretty much speaks for itself, 87 goals in 183 games for Real Madrid and 66 in 148 games for Lyon.

Not bad at all for a 25 year old. I myself have never been a huge fan of Benzema; I’ve not always been convinced by his attitude on the pitch. His talent is unquestioned, but would Wenger be able to get the best out of a player who may feel he has nothing left to prove? This is certainly the most likely transfer to happen from this list, but Real Madrid could want anything up to £45m would Wenger be willing to pay that sum?

Wayne Rooney

Age – 27

Club – Man Utd

12/13 League Apps – 27

12/13 League Goals – 12

12/13 League Assists – 10

I’m not going to waste time telling you about what kind of player Wayne Rooney is, because you all know. Would I want Rooney at the club? Most certainly. Why? Because he is a winner and whoever he plays for will have a mega chance to win the title. Chelsea are certainly the front runners to sign Rooney, but United seem reluctant to sell to title rivals.

Which could be good news for our reported pursuit as United may be more inclined to sell him to us than Chelsea. Whether that be true or not, the one stumbling block for me on a Rooney move to Arsenal would be the wages. I’m sure we could afford to pay Rooney’s mammoth wages, but what do with the rest of the squad who would be on nowhere near what Rooney would be on a week.

Wage parity is a key part of keep squad harmony and I just can’t see Rooney being on 200k a week sitting well with the rest of the Arsenal squad. I could well be wrong, maybe the squad wouldn’t mind, or maybe Wayne would take a pay cut (Ha yeah right)!

It’s a no go for me.

So there you have it, if you weren’t worried before reading this post, you may feel a tad worried after reading it, or you may even feel like one of these names could really come to Arsenal and do the job. Alternatively I may have missed out on somebody that you feel could do the job. However you feel, leave a comment and discuss.