Given that both... Wayne Rooney (who is stalling on signing a new contract) and Suarez (who has signed a new contract, reportedly with a CL release clause now in it) ...will very probably be available in the summer if their teams do not make the top 4, do you: Sign a new striker now, and realize that you will not get value for money and probably have to take a pass on one of those two in the summer? or Wait until the summer and risk not getting anyone?
Considering i don't want either of those, i'd sign someone now. We need a striker now, we've only got Giroud left, and he's played about 4000 trillion games so far this season, you'd think he'd be a bit tired by now.
Wayne's wages @250k per week is not in our league. He would want more to move. Suarez on the other hand has just signed an improved deal and allegedly has a crazy release clause for epl teams. So really we should be looking elsewhere for our striking recruits.
Hyothetically, what's to stop us triggering the release clauses for Costa or Martinez now? Both are reportedly around the £30-35m mark which I know is steep but strike me as the sort of prices which may seem cheap in a year or so (moreso with Costa due to his age). I think it would be a massive statement of intent and I can see it lifting both fans and club alike as the Ãzil signing did*. FWIW I'd love Suarez at the club (c*nt though he is) as he's an unbelievable player. Sadly I think that ship has sailed with us financially. Rooney would improve us no doubt but I don't think we'd fork out for his wages and he's a twat to boot. I can only suffer twattish behaviour if the player is really, really, reeeally good. Yep, I know that's low of me but I also suffer really hot women who annoy me too so, whilst shallow, at least I'm consistent! *Please note I'm not suggesting spending £40m+ every time we need a little pick me up!
I think we definitely need to buy / loan a top striker now, as we are sitting top of the league and have a chance of winning it. However, that shouldn't then stop us buying another striker in the Summer if someone of the right quality is available. At the moment, we only have 1 real striker. Having 3 would be a bonus. How many quality strikers do man Citeh have? Even back when we had Henry, we also normally had 4 strikers, including Wiltord, Bergkamp, Kanu, and best of all Jeffers.
I don't think we can use City (or Chelsea) as an example. But, apart from that, if we buy a striker now and then another in the summer, I don't think we are going to get 2 for the price of 1, if you know what I mean. They are both going to be of lesser quality than if we wait and get one in the summer. I think that is basic reality. We can believe all the rumours and hype and still hope, but I can't see another club giving us bargain basement prices at this point, when we are in a bit of a fix. And big name strikers want to know they own the position. having Giroud in there is bad enough, getting two big names is unlikely. Although a lot of pundits and fans don't rate Giroud, but statistically he is still well up there, is still young for a striker, and I doubt too many (even big-name) strikers want to compete with him AND another for one place.
, On an older thread someone has already shown the figures that statistically show he is NOT well up there. Let's see who some of the best current strikers are in the world and their ages: Ibra (32), Suarez (26), Cavani (26), Rooney (28), Costa (25), Aguero (25), Higuain (26), Falcao (27), Lewandowski (25). How many of those is Giroud younger than? Agreed. However we haven't even got ONE striker in yet... no need to worry an additional one just yet.
Well statistics can show whatever you want them to show, but Giroud is still ranked 62 in Europe (all positions) on Whoscored. That means he isn't a flop by any means. I'm not saying he is one of the best strikers in the world, but by the time you have taken out the strikers that don't play the same way or position, you are left with a lot fewer to choose from. At this point in the season, it would be a huge risk to put even Costa, Suarez, Cavani or Aguero up front as a lone striker, in our system. If we got one of them, they might well be playing as well as Giroud, not instead of him. Ibra and Falcao don't strike me as the types that will be back defending corners or running around pressing the way Giroud does. Higuain is rated well lower than Giroud statistically on Whoscored, it is unlikely to be completely false. So while I am certain you think you have a nailed on case why we should sign one of these big names, I doubt that it is quite so clear cut that these players would be a huge success when transplanted into our team and in some cases our league. That is what the scouts and the manager have to decide and it isn't a trivial matter.
