I agree, I think while he's a very good player he falls below the truly WC players we need at the club to raise us to the next level (a Aguero, RVP in his prime, Suarez, Bale type).
No one was making comparisons with Henry, but to suggest he isn't good enough, when he's been playing for Real for a number of years, is foolish indeed. There is also no secret that Wenger highly rates Benzema and has been an admirer for a number of years. If he was available then we would be going in for him. He one of the most talented players to come our of France in a long while. He is the real deal.
Let me put it in another way. Benzema does everything that Giroud does, but better. He is quicker, has more agility and is more skillful than Giroud. So what does that mean if he played for Arsenal?
I think as far as the 'collective play' issue that Wenger raises it doesn't necessarily apply to Benzema but looks as though he may not be interested in any new striker at all which is a bit worrying as we can't just keep hoping Sanchez will carry the load.
I think it's less about Sanchez carrying the load and more doing the same thing we've done since RVP left, which is spread the goals around and everyone create chances for everyone else and everyone score a bit more, hence how we actually scored more goals the season after our WC striker (RVP) left, and in the same way we only scored 2 goals less than the champions last season - which considering our appalling start and we were missing our main striker, our main playmaker and winger, for the 1st 3rd/half of the season isn't bad. I'd expect Walcott to score quite a few, Sanchez to score a little bit less than last season (due to fatigue), Giroud to score more, Santi and Ramsey to score more and Oxo to score more.
Benzema would be an upgrade on most things Giroud can do but I don't think he's better at holding the ball up. Would obviously still want him though. Anyway, it's a silly point to get hooked on though as Arsene will never come out after a defeat and blame the players. The whole squad played sh*te on Sunday but he's not going to say "know what, we'd have won that if I'd signed Benzema, I'll pop out after this interview and buy him". As an aside, I'm kind of getting a feeling we'll sign someone due to the fact there are so few rumours about us...that ain't right surely!
Emile Heskey was the all-time great at holding up the ball, doesn't mean he should be playing for us. Granted Giroud is better than Heskey, but an Arsenal striker would be required to do a bit more than do just good. We've suffered a lot for not having a top striker.
Amazes me how people can be so fixated on disagreeing with one point of a post that they'll completely miss the rest of it, like, you know, where I say I'd obviously want Benzema at the club! Regardless, Giroud is a very decent player that would warrant a place at most clubs. Whether he should be our starting player is another matter though I'd think you could make a case for him against some of the teams with big, strong defences. As people have said though it's a moot point as I can't even find a (reliable) rumour about him coming on Twitter if you can believe that! PS I f*cking loved Heskey at his peak!
Not really disagreeing with you mate, just highlighting the fact that Giroud shouldn't be our main first team striker, even if he can hold the ball up handsomely. Its just frustrating that the CF is the last piece of the puzzle for us and we can't seem to get that top striker in. We seem to have plenty of fill-ins, but not enough A graders. If we could splice Walcott and Welbeck together, then we would be in business. As for Hesky, he was a good player in the beginning, but he failed to kick on. He was used as a glorified lamp post when he left Leicester...
But isn't that a mute point as all the players people have put forward as better replacements aren't actually available
The most frustrating comments so far from Wenger are those saying that the 2-0 loss to West Ham shouldn't lead to the conclusion we need to panic buy players. Especially the bit about how the players we have should be able to beat West Ham and that's why we shouldn't panic buy. If that's true then why did he buy Cech? Could we not have beaten West Ham without Cech? No Wenger, no-one thinks we need players just because we lost 2-0... We all think we need players because we've needed them for a few seasons and you never buy them. He's clearly a clever bloke but can't he realise that some of the stuff he says is just illogical and stupid? That 2-0 loss has given him almost the perfect reason in his mind not to buy. Urgh. He better buy.
Cech wasnt a panic buy tho - he was a carefully worked out transfer. Welbeck could be seen as a panic buy (because we didnt have any strikers at that point)
The positions we need filling shouldn't be panic buys either but Wenger is suggesting making any now would be. And they will probably end up being if we actually make any. The fact we lost 2-0 is irrelevant to transfers. We needed them before, we need them now. The fact Wenger links that result to transfers hacks me right off.
Or maybe hes saying the result wont make any difference to his transfer targets (ie if hes trying to bring in any exceptional players then he still will be) but he wont go out and panic buy a risky/average player based on performances (or lack there of) in one game. Id hope that wenger is true to his word and if he finds an exceptional player then hell buy him. But he has lied before...
That's is warped logic though. He didn't 'panic buy' Cech at all. He bought him at the start of the window and as an upgrade on Szczesny (you have been one of Szczesny's biggest critics, so surely would welcome that transfer?) I agree that we need to strengthen still, at DM and CF in partuicular, but I also agree that we shouldn't panic buy on the back of one bad result. Wenger obviously has targets that he's monitoring, hopefully we can do a deal before the window closes. I don't think the West Ham result will, or should alter that approach at all.
