da 888： As if the haters didn’t already have the ammo need to launch scathing attacks on Arsene Wenger, Danny Welbeck’s latest injury set-back has parachuted in all the rounds they need to fire at will towards the Frenchman.
da dobrowin： England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed that the versatile forward will miss six months of action after having surgery on his left knee, leaving the Premier League club seriously short of options up front. Oh dear.
Although injuries happen, Arsenal’s lack of transfer activity over the summer –Petr Cech was their only signing – has raised serious questions about the policy being employed at the club, especially as they must have had knowledge of Welbeck’s situation over the closing week of the window.
So, how can the London club cope? What can Wenger do to ease the growing dissent? And just how will the expected title challenge be kept on track? Well, here are FIVE possible options…
Try Oxlade-Chamberlain up front
Hold on, this one may not be as unorthodox as you think. Just look at ‘The Ox’s’ skills… He’s pacey, powerful, a very good finisher and at 5ft. 11”, he’s not in the ‘pint size’ mould.
He’s also shown that a central berth suits him in the past when used as a ‘No.10’ and the ability to influence the play from such a zone suggests he has the intelligence to adapt his game.
Pick up a free agent
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Even though the transfer window has closed, Arsenal can still bring in a name or two to boost numbers at the Emirates Stadium. Okay, the pool of players has been severely reduced with only free agents available, and their qualities may be questionable – after all, these guys were released and not picked up over the summer. However, there are one or two Arsenal could move for:
Carlton Cole – Although his cumbersome movement has been mocked, he boasts Premier League experience and could be a reserve option for the rest of the season at the age of 31.
Yoann Gourcuff – A ‘No.10’ playmaker or a deep-lying passer, the Frenchman could allow Sanchez or Walcott to be used more frequently in attack.
Ilsinho – The 29-year-old Brazilian right-back/right midfielder left Shakhtar Donetsk over the summer upon the end of his contract. He has experience and could be used on the flanks as a back-up option.
Give Joel Campbell a chance
Yep, he’s still at the club. Despite successive summers of almost leaving North London on a permanent transfer, the Costa Rica international remains on the peripheries of Wenger’s squad, and it’s quite baffling that he hasn’t been given a true run of first-team opportunities.
Yes, the 23-year-old may not be of sufficient quality to make a major impact, but he showed during his home nation’s impressive 2014 World Cup run that he has the ability to work well from wide or as part of a forward unit, while his pace and technique suggest he could be a good fit in a Wenger system.
Rely on squad depth
Luckily for Arsenal, Welbeck’s injury leaves the club with options. Had Olivier Giroud picked up a knock then Wenger would suddenly be looking at half a season without an orthodox centre-forward in his ranks, while a similar state of affairs at centre-back would have seriously depleted his options.
Alas, Welbeck has spent much of his Gunners career in a wide position, and luckily for the London club there are options to step in.
Theo Walcott can be shifted wide, albeit he may need to be rotated so he’s available to play up front, while the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and even Aaron Ramsey can be used from either flank.
Learn from mistakes
This is one Gooners have been crying out for for some time. Arsenal fans simply want Wenger to spend more readily, with the club’s failure to sign an outfield player during the last window – making them the only side in any of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues to have done so – alarming.
Okay, the Gunners have snapped up Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in recent years, but the feeling of a title charge being so close following the impressive run at the end of the season irked many, and now Welbeck’s injury has given critics all the ammo they need.