Arsenal’s dramatic deadline-day capture of Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck was met with contrasting emotions, to say the least, amongst Arsenal fans.
Welbeck is highly rated by many throughout the game; Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Roy Hodgson all see potential and quality in him which speaks for itself.
However, many Arsenal fans were left feeling rather underwhelmed after they had been linked with the likes of Edinson Cavani and Radamel Falcao at different stages in the transfer window.
The general consensus amongst Arsenal fans is that they needed a clinical out-and-out goalscorer, a predatory finisher who doesn’t need a multitude of opportunities to find the net.
Diego Costa and Falcao would have been ideal, however, the latter was certainly not in Arsenal's wage bracket and it’s very difficult to compete for a signature against a club of Chelsea’s financial firepower.
But many believe Welbeck could prove to be a very shrewd acquisition by Arsène Wenger. The Gunners desperately struggled going forward from January onwards due to the absences of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott. Their transitions in attack were laboured, static and predictable. They lacked incisiveness and teams managed to negate their threat with consummate ease.
Along with the signing of Chilean star Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona, Welbeck will provide Arsenal’s front-line with much needed pace. Sanchez and Welbeck are both notorious for their energy and work-rate, which will enable the Gunners to press higher up the pitch.
Welbeck is also well adept at running in behind defences. He can stretch teams and one of his best qualities is making space for others. That will allow the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott et al to flourish.
Whilst Giroud is a very good forward in his own right, he hasn’t got the pace to stretch defences, which negates the impact of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere. The midfield men thrive on having runners in behind, which allows them to demonstrate their ability to play the ‘killer passes’.
With Giroud side-lined for four months, Arsenal’s main other striking option was Yaya Sanogo. Sanogo does possess some useful qualities, but lacks the experience to be the main man at the Emirates. His hold-up play is neat and tidy, but he lacks the pace to run in behind defences, making Arsenal’s attack too one-paced. Sanogo has only made 17 appearances for the club, so leading the line would be a massive responsibility.
The addition of Welbeck will not only provide Premier League and Champions League experience, it will also give them a different dimension offensively.
When the North London outfit faced fellow top four sides away from home last season, they posed very little threat. Their lack of pace up front meant opposition defences were able to regularly press Arsenal high up the pitch and retain possession and Arsenal were not able to cope.
However, with the additions of Welbeck and Sanchez, combined with the imminent return of Theo Walcott, Arsenal will be able to play more counter-attacking football against the division’s top sides.
Rather than chasing games, they can be more conservative and their rivals will be more wary of leaving themselves exposed defensively.
The major question mark regarding the signing of Welbeck was his rather modest goal-scoring record. Welbeck was valued highly by Sir Alex Ferguson for his versatility and with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie at the club, the 23-year-old was used sparingly in his preferred central-forward position.
However, when played as a centre forward, Welbeck averages a goal every 2.2 games, which is better than the likes of Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku, and former United team-mates Rooney and van Persie.
The addition of the former Sunderland loanee is further evidence of the British core that Wenger is establishing at the Emirates. Jack Wilshere, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs have been joined this summer by Welbeck and defender Calum Chambers, who has earned his first call-up due to his impressive start to the campaign.
In early August, Wenger said: “We have a lot of good English players here. Trust me, I will give you a good national team.”
That may well be true, Wenger has assembled and developed six of England’s most talented prospects and including Aaron Ramsey, they have seven top British players who are vital members of the squad.
The signing of Welbeck further signals a stark change in philosophy from Wenger, which he hopes will give Arsenal a stronger identity.
One of the major positives of Welbeck’s arrival could be his ability to rise to the big occasions. One of the major criticisms levelled at Arsène Wenger’s side last year was their failure to perform in the big matches.
Welbeck has scored crucial goals against Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and has also found the net against Arsenal on more than one occasion. The trust placed in him by Ferguson was evident when he started Welbeck for Manchester United’s Champions League knockout match against Real Madrid, whilst Rooney was left on the bench.
Rio Ferdinand, Mike Phelan and René Meulensteen, all of whom worked closely with Welbeck at the Red Devils, praised the striker and believe that given a decent opportunity in his preferred position, he will flourish and be a vital part of Arsenal’s side.
Ferdinand said on his twitter account earlier today that Welbeck was a ‘top signing’ by the Gunners. He added: “If he gets that trust to be the number one striker he will flourish and explode.”
Whilst he may not be the big name that many Arsenal fans craved, he could prove to be a key man in Arsenal’s push for silverware this season. One thing is for certain, Welbeck is a more experienced and complete player than Sanogo at present, and his Premier League pedigree will be all-important.