Arsenal Have No Excuse Not To Sign Andriy Yarmolenko

Arsenal’s interest in Andriy Yarmolenko looked to be a hot and cold, but words make a lot of difference. This man is available to the Gunners.

I like when club presidents come out and say that players are available. Borussia Monchengladbach’s president did something similar with Granit Xhaka, admitting that they would let him go if they received an acceptable offer. Dynamo Kyiv have no done the same, as president Igor Surkis has said, as quoted by the Metro, “If I get an offer that will suit Dynamo and Yarmolenko wants to go to this club, I’ll let him.”

He went on to specify, “My position is that we should not let Yarmolenko go to such clubs like Everton and Stoke City. Dynamo is Dynamo and Stoke City is Stoke. We’re playing in the Champions League, and Stoke City are fighting for survival.”

Essentially, what he is saying is give him a Champions League team with an offer, and Yarmolenko is theirs.

For as much as I like it when club presidents do this, I picture in the back of my head Arsene Wenger cursing subtly. “Now the fans will know he is available and they will complain when Chelsea beat us to his signing!”

Maybe it’s just me. I still haven’t gotten over Charlie Austin being completely ignored by Wenger.

Anyway, about Yarmolenko. Coming from the Ukrainian Premier League, his price tag is not going to be outrageous. They can claim whatever they want, but given the right offer and enough of an interest from Yarmolenko himself and Arsenal can land another clever attacker with plus size that can fill in for the massive let downs that Walcott and the Ox have provided.

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Granted there are some potential drawbacks. He would block Iwobi and Gnabry, but at the end of the day, depth is needed. In order to achieve the maximum number of trophies, Arsenal cannot do what they did this year, running the same guys out there three times a week and expecting them to stay healthy.

Yarmolenko is a quality option for just about any competition, as he has significant European experience. He has just never tested the waters outside of the Ukraine. So if anything, he’d be like a fun experiment. Play in in the Champions League and let him do what he always does (like against Manchester City).

There are changes needed in the Arsenal first team, but there are depth additions needed to. The wings are a wasteland, with just Alexis looking like a surefire bet. Iwobi, Gnabry and the Ox are all young and can’t be expected to have the same composure as Bellerin did in so little time.

There are some qualities that Yarmolenko would bring that go beyond converting himself to the English style, and it is these intangibles that make his potential transfer worth it on their own. The guy has a ton of confidence and he is a winner. Arsenal can never have too much of that combination.

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Just remember, if Arsenal do not sign Yarmolenko, Wenger has no excuse. The guy is available.

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