The 23-year-old English striker was signed for £16million pounds from Manchester United on deadline day, after The Gunners had appealed for 2 extra hours to complete all of the necessary paperwork to confirm the deal before he goes off with England for international duty; and in the early hours of the morning they publicly announced the deal which was met with both surprise and annoyance from a section of the Arsenal supporters.

Many were shocked that United were ready to sell one of their young players to a rival club, but it made sense given the fact that he was never going to be chosen over the likes of van Persie, Rooney and now Falcao - who joined the club in a shock deadline day loan move to Old Trafford.

Arsenal were heavily linked with moves for PSG striker Edinson Cavani, as well as Swansea's powerhouse forward Wilfried Bony and new Liverpool signing Mario Balotelli - so you could excuse the unenthuasiasm when they first heard about a possibilty of Welbeck joining the club as a replacement for the injured Giroud.

Despite this, Welbeck is a good player. So, why choose him?


Why choose Welbeck?

Despite some people doubting his ability to lead the line of Arsenal's attack this season, this has the potential to be a long-term investment in the club by manager Arsene Wenger, who has kept quiet over deals for a striker up until the last minute.

He is still young, and if he flourishes at Arsenal he could stay there for many years to come and be a key striker for them to rely on; he performs well for England but has not been given the relevant chance to prove himself for Manchester United and has thus only been given the tag of "squad-role player" in the past few years that he has been in the first-team.

Also, he is the kind of player to give 100% effort and determination in everything that he does every matchday, which is a desirable quality for a player, especially a striker who tracks back and contributes to the team defensively as well as in-front of goal.

He impressed on his loan spell out at Premier League club Sunderland, and even though you cannot really compare the two teams Welbeck could flourish under Wenger's guidance given the fact that he has something to prove to both his new supporters and the English media who will be watching his every move as they look in their search for England's next international saviour.


WELBECK QUOTES ON MOVE:

Welbeck's comments to the press: "It's exciting times for me, it's great to be a part of this club and it's a team that I've always watched in the Premier League. I've envisaged myself playing in this team before. For it to finally happen is very exciting, I've been at United ever since I was a little boy and I had a great time there."

"I just think this is the next stage of my development - to come to Arsenal, to really show people what I can do as a footballer and hopefully get to the place where I want to be. Things move on in life and I think you've really got to make the right decision in the situation that you're in at that moment in time - I believe that coming to Arsenal is the right decision."

"I believe the style of play the manager's got and the boys play - and with the magnificent players in midfield slotting balls through I can run on to the end of those balls and slot them away; I'd like to bring pace and power to the game. At Arsenal, we're not short of combination football and I like to join in on that and get in behind defenders and try to get shots off at goal."


Where will he play?

Welbeck struggled to get any games in his normal position as the striker at United with the likes of Rooney and van Persie being preferred to him, and was often shifted onto the wing with the option to cut inside the box when he had the ball at his feet - which wasn't always the best idea. As a result, he failed to get many goals on his individual tally meaning that he was not thought of highly in many fans' thoughts as an ideal signing for The Gunners.

Having said that, he has something to prove and with the likes of Sanchez and Ozil feeding him through balls he's sure to take his chances.

Here is a potential formation that Arsenal could play, to fit Welbeck in the lone striker role.


FINAL VERDICT:

£16 million pounds for a 23-year-old striker with something to prove could either turn out to be a wonder-stroke by Wenger, or a flop. It is possible that he ends up to be the former, as long as the Arsenal fans get behind him. He chose them over the likes of local rivals Tottenham, surely they must respect him for that? He wants to improve his game, and it's not always hard to leave your boyhood club - another desirable decision made on his part.

At the end of the day, Arsenal could be exactly what he needs to develop his game and turn into one of the best strikers in the Premier League - he needs regular game-time and nurturing to flourish in his regular position.

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About the author
Mosope Ominiyi
Writer and editor - European football analyst, youth enthusiast. Email: [email protected]