Arsenal Could Have Given Alexandre Pato Much More Than Chelsea

Arsenal have missed out on another striker as Alexandre Pato is set to secure his move to Chelsea. In the end, Arsenal could have given the Brazilian much more.

In my endless crusade to see a striker come to Arsenal that will not replace Giroud, but merely compete with him, one name that always seemed highly likely was Alexandre Pato. The Brazilian fit everything Arsenal could want and vice versa. He was still young, talented, fallen from stardom and looking for a fresh start. He was the typical project signing that Wenger could buy for cheap and turn into a superstar.

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Like I said, everything Arsenal look for.

But just like Charlie Austin, Pato added his name to the list of budget strikers that could have helped Arsenal’s season. And by helped Arsenal’s season, I of course mean step in in the event of a Giroud injury.

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The fact still holds that Olivier Giroud is Arsenal’s only striker and as long as that is the case, there is always going to be a risk. Just like there was a risk with Francis Coquelin. There were three strikers that all seemed like probable targets for Arsenal: Austin, Pato and Aleksandr Kokorin, the latter of whom is still available.

In the end though, Arsenal will remain silent for as long as Olivier Giroud is around.

Pato will be joining Chelsea on a loan deal until the summer. With his contract with Corinthians set to run up in December 2016, that will mean, as ESPNFC reports, that Patro can begin pre-contract negotiations this summer. During that time he will be able to hammer out where he will be going when his loan is up.

Chelsea are now the proud owners of four strikers. Diego Costa, Loic Remy, Falcao and now Pato all call Stamford Bridge home. Call it a surplus. Especially when compared to Arsenal’s stable of one.

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Arsenal could have provided Pato with so much more than Chelsea. First of all, he would have been joining a title-contending team and one that will be involved in European football next season. That is something Pato surely wants to return to sooner rather than later. Chelsea cannot offer him that.

Not only that, but Arsenal could have provided him less competition. It would have been Pato and Giroud – that’s it. That means that Pato would have been able to make his claims in lesser competitions while Giroud kept doing what he has been doing. As a third option, Arsenal would still be trying to develop Welbeck as a striker. Everyone wins.

Pato is a striker with different talents than Giroud, which would offer a perfect shake-up solution when Arsenal need to switch up their tactics. That was the idea behind making Theo Walcott a striker, but the Englishman has yet to find any real consistency at the position.

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It is a shame that Arsenal missed out on such a potential star. Pato had the talent once and that talent does not simply go away. Not by a long shot. He still has the abilities to become an elite talent and if it happens at Chelsea, we will always be left wondering what could have been.