Is it wrong to blame Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for not signing a striker?

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger signed only Petr Cech this summer and no outfield players

As Arsenal fans go through the mandatory ‘#WengerOut’ phase of the season before the club sorts itself out, it is quite easy to point fingers for the shambolic start this season. The drought of goals this season is quite apparent. It’s no wonder the majority of Arsenal fans were cringing when they realised Arsene Wenger wasn’t throwing silly money for a striker this transfer market.

With only three strikers of note in the armoury, two misfiring and one who won’t be making it to the pitch before Christmas at the least, Wenger received serious flak from the fans for his activity (or rather the lack of it) in the transfer market.

However this didn’t play out like a classic Wenger transfer window script; beginning with speculation in the media about Arsenal being linked to at least six of the top strikers from Europe and ending with the purchase of an unknown French youngster to everyone’s displeasure. Now though it appears that Wenger has passed on the baton to Louis Van Gaal in this respect.

Wenger was never going to splurge in the transfer market

Arsenal usually acquire players who are on the verge of exile from their clubs or players who are struggling to cement a regular starting place in their squad, so it didn’t seem like such a shocker when Wenger didn’t bring in the likes of Karim Benzema or Edinson Cavani. Also, Wenger is a person with a mountain of faith and a long rope of tolerance – just ask Jack Wilshere.

This could also explain his trust in the current squad to play to their potential and offer the club success at the close of the season. It is also understandable and pleasant to know that Wenger did not panic buy on the last day by throwing unimaginable amounts of money at a decent striker or get another unfamiliar signing just to give momentary relief to the fans.

Signing Andre Santos and Marouane Chamakh are enough “relief buys” for one decade. So when Wenger announced that no striker was “available” it was completely justified. As the transfer window closed, fans were divided in their opinions, with a majority of them disappointed by the lack of any outfield signings in the transfer market.

Arsenal’s foremost targets, if reports are to be believed were Benzema and Cavani, two strikers who don’t hold a candle to Giroud when it comes to gorgeousness. However, when you look at their lethal finishing and conversion rate, they are among the best in Europe.

Very much like Giroud at Arsenal, these two strikers also hold assured starting places, one of them for the most successful Champions League team in Europe and the other playing for the champions of France. It certainly didn’t look likely that a club like Arsenal could lure them away from their comfort zones.

Should Wenger have bought a striker in lieu of Welbeck’s injury?

Danny Welbeck will not be back in action until Christmas

But it was like a nightmarish déjà vu of the Luis Suarez saga from a couple years ago. Should Wenger have been more pragmatic in his approach to signing a striker? Would the likes of a Charlie Austin, Stevan Jovetic, or Ciro Immobile have been more genuine options as they were already on the verge of departing their clubs?

The announcement that Welbeck would be out for a number of months was perhaps a nasty spin in what was already a slightly distasteful tale. The injury news compounded with the horrible transfer market activity was deeply disappointing to say the least. Many fans took to Twitter, as is the norm nowadays, to accuse Wenger of lying to them about the extent of Welbeck’s injury.

Few fans have come out in Wenger’s defence stating how announcing Welbeck’s injury would work against Arsenal in the market as this would directly lead to parent clubs hiking their striker prices at negotiations. The dilemma remains that even in case Welbeck was still available to play for the team; the need for a more promising centre forward to lead the line would not become less obvious.

It just seemed totally unlike Wenger to keep the fans in the dark about the situation of Welbeck. Whether this was in the best interest of the club he is paid to manage or not will remain open to discussion for months to come. Regarded as a man of principles and a person who is not really bothered about the transfers of the other clubs, this shadow of doubt has been most disconcerting to Wenger’s supporters.

I clearly do not expect Wenger a man with so much class to hide information from the fans in such a manner. Hopefully in the gamble of persisting with the current pack of strikers, Wenger will find an ace that brings home the title.