Arsenal Transfer May Have Fans Hoping For Injury Setbacks

News has broken that Arsenal may have already completed their first signing of the January window. However, they need some things to go wrong for it to happen.

The last thing in the world anyone at Arsenal wants to hear is that there has been an injury setback. Those words are like nails on a chalkboard. It has become a theme at Arsenal and a theme that they have to get over. They had apparently gotten over them with the addition of Shad Forsythe, but this year has had a few setbacks to remind us all how it feels.

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And yet, as it stands, with the transfer window looming, Arsenal fans may be hoping for an injury setback, or more of a setback, for Danny Welbeck. The English striker has suffered from severe bone bruising since last April and his return date keeps getting pushed back. As such, rumors (that’s still all they are) have emerged that Arsene Wenger has added a striker already – but only if Welbeck suffers more setbacks.

France Football, as quoted by the Daily Star, indicates that Arsene Wenger has agreed on a £4.4m deal for Dynamo Moscow star forward Aleksandr Kokorin. But again, that deal will only go through if Arsenal suffers another injury setback. 

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While no deal like this has been struck before, you have to look at the writing on the wall. As has been covered before, Olivier Giroud is at his absolute best when he has competition breathing down his neck. It was his benching at the hands of Theo Walcott that sparked the current run of form Giroud is in. But for as good as Walcott was, he is finding renewed success on the wings. So much so that Wenger needs Giroud and Walcott on the pitch together.

That leaves Giroud standing alone as the sole striker yet again. Which could lead to the same inconsistency as we have seen in the past. If Welbeck can’t come back in time to challenge Giroud than Wenger has to act. For the budget price that the deal is reported at, Kokorin is a no-lose situation. He has experience at the highest levels of competition. He has a decent enough goal scoring record. Plus, he is still young and exhibits some of the same physical traits as Giroud.

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If nothing else, it will show Giroud that he can’t fall back into his complacency again. £4.4m is a small price to pay to keep Giroud in the form he is in.