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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not the Answer, Marco Reus is
As the Gooners look to build on what was an extremely successful campaign last season, bringing in new faces can be a double-edged sword. While the money is there for Wenger to go after big name targets, and there are areas that could be strengthened, that doesn’t mean over 20 million pounds needs to be fleshed out on any one player.
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Furthermore, this year was a great indicator of how imperative squad balance is for a team and how the right amount of squad depth can make for a exhilarating competitive environment for the players. Thus the transfer rumor of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moving to Arsenal for 28.7 million pounds, reported by The Daily Mail, while exciting, should not be looked at as a real option, or even as an option that we need.
Yes, Aubamayeng has terrorizing pace, which is very well-known due to his abilities in the video game FIFA, however in terms of what else he offers, he is not much ahead of Theo Walcott, nor Danny Welbeck.
This is not to say Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not miles ahead of those players in skill, but in terms of overall contribution, Aubameyeng is not too dissimilar from them. Welbeck offers so much on the defensive side of things as an attacking player, and Theo is a fan favorite who is entering his prime. Moreover, one cannot understate the contributions of Giroud, who put in his best season in an Arsenal shirt and is absolutely pivotal to the way we play.
Perhaps Aubameyeng would be a clinical finisher in the Prem, but is he really worth the 28.7 million pound evaluation? I am not convinced, even with 25 goals to his name last season, that is one year of effective scoring for a big side; a big side who struggled mightily I may add.
Once again, even though people talk of Arsenal needing to add another striker to their ranks, it would cause much disrupt in the squad due to already having three strikers determined to start every game playing in a formation that utilizes only one.
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The doubt that those three can lead the Gunners to glory has ground to stand on without a doubt due to Welbeck’s poor finishing and Theo’s recent switch to the forward position, however it would be unlike the professor to not give these three a fair chance to prove themselves. Coupled with that is the fact that Aubameyeng’s game is not too different from that of Walcott and Welbeck. Of course it is more enhanced, but it relies on sheer pace, timing of runs and finishing acumen. Why spend so much money on that when Wenger, the brilliant manager he is, can just work to develop those parts of Theo and Welbs’s game even more?
It is clear Arsenal have the money to go out and get another big name player along with the imminent signing of Cech, and if Wenger really wants to make another big splash he should go after Marco Reus.
If you are supposedly willing to shell out 28 million for Aubameyang, why not offer 40 million for Reus instead?
Although it may seem as though the club is stocked in the winger department, now that Theo is transitioning into a striker, and Chamberlain is continuing his development as a central midfielder, a position Wenger believes “His future will be,” the right-winger position is much more open than once thought and it would be amazing for Arsenal if Reus locked down that spot for years to come. There are few player in the world that posses Reus’s technical and physical ability, with rapid pace and superb vision, not to mention a real knack for getting on the score sheet.
More importantly though, Reus fits Arsenal style so well. He is a huge admirer of Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere, Stating in an interview with the the Guardian,
"“My idol was always Tomas Rosicky. He used to be phenomenal. He had such a good eye for an opening and knew where his team-mates were, and he was so quick. Rosicky had great technique and was so intelligent and mature even though he was still young at Dortmund. I copied everything about him – right down to his sweat bands. Rosicky had great technique and was so intelligent and mature even though he was still young at Dortmund."
Reus goes on to say how Wilshere is the “perfect player,” highlighting how players at Arsenal fit his style of play, and with Dortmund transitioning with a new coach, this might be the best time for Arsenal to go after the German Wizard who would without a doubt be a world-beater at the Emirates.