Recent speculations suggest that Arsenal is keen on luring Napoli ace Gonzalo Higuain to the Emirates Stadium following a phenomenal goal-laden season at last season’s Serie A runners-up.
Higuain contributed immensely to Napoli’s second place finish as he bagged a record 36 League goals for Maurizio Sarri’s side, but even with that feat in place, Napoli was unable to pip Juventus for the League title.
Higuain could opt to stay at Napoli and attempt to win the Serie A League title next season, or he could join Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and help the North London outfit to launch a viable title bid.
In the past, Arsene Wenger has come under massive scrutiny from Arsenal fans due to his unwillingness to sign marquee players who have the potential to spur the club towards a League title.
Arsenal fans made it unequivocally clear last season that they’re keen on seeing Arsenal enjoy lots of success, and on that note, the recent FA Cup wins don’t seem to be enough to appease them.
A possible transfer taking Higuain to Arsenal would include a part exchange deal for Olivier Giroud which would see the Frenchman trade places with Higuain at Napoli. Despite the prospect of Giroud trading places with Higuain, the transfer is still expected to cost Arsenal a great deal.
While the transfer remains a speculation, it seems quite likely that Wenger will sign Higuain before the season runs out, a move which could see Olivier Giroud cross-carpet to the Serie A.
How the deal would impact Napoli
Higuain’s potency in front of goal helped Napoli to secure a second place finish in the Serie A while also bringing massive amounts of joy to the Ultras at the Stadio San Paolo.
Higuain leaving the club could have a detrimental on their League campaign once the season kicks off later in August.
To safeguard the club against that sort of occurrence, Sarri will have to bring in somewhat of a direct replacement for the Argentina international, which shouldn’t prove too difficult judging by the massive funds Napoli would rake in if Higuain makes a switch to another club.
The Serie A is quite similar to the Premier League, although they feature contrasting intensity levels.
While loads of pace is an essential attribute to any striker, it’s not a direct requirement in the Serie A.
A strong aerial presence and prolific goal poaching ability are enough to get a striker a standard tally of 20 goals, and those are attributes Giroud has in abundance hence making him a perfect fit for the Italian top flight.
Now let’s take a look at the corresponding effect that Higuain would have at Arsenal.
What Higuain could bring to Arsenal
Robin Van Persie’s departure from Arsenal in the summer of 2012 left the North London outfit’s striking department in utter disarray and since then Olivier Giroud has been utilised as the club’s main striker.
The likes of Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck have been unable to produce title winning performances for Arsenal, but Higuain has the potential to do just that.
Higuain can bring a new dynamic to Arsenal’s style of play; he can take up the role of the goalscoring catalyst at the Emirates, and with Mesut Ozil’s quality balls to rely on, it’s almost a near-certainty that Higuain would be a great fit for Arsenal.
He’s technically gifted, knows how to convert half-chances into goals, plus he’s got loads of pace to be able to run in behind opposition defenders.
A deal for Higuain is yet to materialise, but if Arsene Wenger can lure him to the Emirates stadium then maybe Arsenal have a solid chance of winning the Premier League.