Arsenal: Duvan Zapata The Wrong Napoli Striker

Recently, rumors have circulated linking Arsenal to Udinese forward Duvan Zapata. However, is there another Napoli forward that the Gunners should be pursuing this Summer?

Arsenal need a world class striker. While Olivier Giroud is a good player, his link up play is excellent, and the physical presence he brings is vital for this Arsenal side, he is not one of the very best forwards in world football. He lacks the goalscoring knack that many strikers throughout Europe possess, doesn’t threaten in behind and is far to inconsistent to build a title challenge around.

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I recently wrote that Arsenal – if they have any title aspirations -need to replace Giroud this Summer. However, such a replacement must be an established, world class striker, not another ambitious project. They must be able to plug in and play from day one, not be groomed into a starter for future days.

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There have been significant rumors linking Arsenal to Napoli and Udinese forward Duvan Zapata (he is currently one year through a two year loan deal at Udinese), and with the consistent reports stating that Wenger is keen on bringing in Alvaro Morata, it is clear that the Gunners are looking for a new striker.

Zapata scored 8 goals in 25 games for Udinese last season, has impressed throughout his tenure in Serie A, and has attracted plenty of admirers this transfer window. Udinese club president Franco Soldati, when speaking about the future of Zapata stated:

"“There is a clause that allows Napoli to recall him early from the two-year loan. He is very happy in Udine, his agent said that too and I hope he can remain with our jersey. He also received many offers from abroad, including from Arsenal. However, first we want coach Beppe Iachini to get to know the team so they can make shared decisions.”"

There is clearly some interest from Arsenal here, however, is the Gunners’ pursuit of Zapata a wise move with another Napoli forward potentially available to sign?

Quite simply, Zapata at the age of 25, is not a world class striker, and is very unlikely to develop into such. He is no better than Olivier Giroud, in fact, he’s worse, he has no experience of English football and would end up playing in a depth role rather than a regular starter. There is, though, another option, and that man is Gonzalo Higuain.

A possible for transfer for Higuain has been critiqued, heavily, based on a comparison between he and Giroud. Like Zapata, Josh Sippie does not see Higuain as an improvement on Giroud. On the contrary, though, the absolute opposite is true. Higuain is a goalscorer. His link up play may not be as proficient as Giroud, but the aforementioned goalscoring knack is something that Higuain possesses in spades.

The Napoli forward would be expensive, with his price tag certainly north of £30 million. However, if brought in and he banged in 20 plus goals over the year, which he has proved is likey, then he would be worth every penny of such a price tag.

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Higuain is a world class striker. Zapata is not. Arsenal clearly have an interest in bringing in another forward, but current reports say they’re pursuing the wrong one.