After a season of improvement but, ultimately, disappointment, Arsenal will be incredibly active in the transfer market this summer and have already secured one major signing; bringing Granit Xhaka in from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Arsene Wenger won’t be done yet though and there’s a lot of speculation concerning Alvaro Morata, who Real Madrid are likely to re-sign from Juventus by activating a buy-back clause before selling on for a profit, perhaps to Arsenal.
The Gunners need a quality, reliable centre-forward, which they’ve lacked since the days when Robin Van Persie was in north London and at his prime, though it remains to be seen whether Morata truly is the man they’re crying out for.
Although talented, there are some concerns regarding the Spanish international and we’ll weigh-up the two big ones here, comparing them to the two biggest benefits that Morata’s addition would hand to the under-par Gunners.
Hit Morata below to see two pros and two cons to him signing for Arsenal!
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Pro: Big name signing
Landing Alvaro Morata ahead of Premier League rivals would be a major statement of intent from Arsenal, as the Spaniard is an established name in European football and has a wealth of honours under his belt from his time at Juventus and Real Madrid.
Whilst not the biggest name available on the market, Morata is a big enough asset to strike fear into opposing defenders and hand the Arsenal squad a huge boost, whilst the prospect of him being fed chances by Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez is a mouthwatering possibility.
Overall, Morata definitely has the assets to be the striker Arsenal need.
Con: Unconvincing goal record
Despite his vast success and established name, Morata’s goal record hasn’t been the most convincing through his career. This season, despite Juventus’ dominance in Italian football, Morata has scored just 12 goals in all competitions- with just seven coming in the league.
He didn’t fair much better in his first season in Turin, scoring 13 goals in the league and Champions League, although he did go on a tremendous run during Juventus push towards the European final, where Morata scored in the loss against Barcelona.
He does have a record of scoring in some of the bigger games but, overall, he’s less prolific than Olivier Giroud and isn’t yet the 20-goal a season man Arsenal are looking for.
Pro: Exciting prospect
Despite the fact he hasn’t quite found his scoring boots regularly that could put him top of the scoring charts, Morata is still just 23-years-old and is one of the most exciting striker prospects within European football.
Having played for two of the biggest sides in Europe, Real Madrid and Juventus, Morata has what it takes to succeed and he could find his feet with Arsenal. He also carries the hopes of Spain on his shoulders, as he’s the man most likely to star up top for Los Rojas, an area where the nation has struggled since David Villa and Fernando Torres were at their prime.
Throughout his career he’s been a member of a supporting cast but at Arsenal, he could become the leading man.
Con: Expensive addition
The one major concern for Arsenal fans will be the price required to sign Alvaro Morata, as Real Madrid will want a profit on the £23m they’ll pay Juventus to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu. Looking at it, they’ll have to pay at least £30m for his services.
Any signing comes with a risk and that would put Morata amongst the most expensive signings in Arsenal history, as well as taking the Gunners spending to beyond £60m for the season- with two of their top four most expensive signings in history coming this summer.
Whilst fans may want that, it comes with danger as we’ve seen in the past with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and others splashing the cash in wealth to no prevail. If Arsenal do want to spend that much, then they may feel a more consistent name is a better option.
