Arsenal: Should Michy Batshuayi Have Gone Red Instead Of Blue?

Michy Batshuayi was a target for both Arsenal and Chelsea last summer. The Belgian chose to move to west rather than north London. But was this the right decision?

With a multitude of festive fixtures coming up and a winter transfer window on the horizon it seems strange to discuss transfer rumours of the past. Yet witnessing Michy Batshuayi’s lack of game time at Chelsea got me thinking. Should the Belgian have gone to Arsenal instead?

Related: 5 Potential Transfer Replacements For Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker last summer was well documented. With a rejection from Jamie Vardy (one he probably regrets now with his team languishing in the bottom half of the table) and a failed bid for Alexandre Lacazette. The search for a scorer was one of the narratives of the transfer window.

Nobody (including Wenger and us at Pain in the Arsenal) could have envisioned Alexis Sanchez’s rise as a striker, so in the end Lucas Perez was signed. While the Spaniard still may come good, at 28 he doesn’t seem like much of a long term option. Unlike Belgian Michy Batshuayi.

Chelsea have been tearing it up of late. With Costa and Hazard seeing a return to form as well as Conte’s formation of a rock solid rear guard. The Blues have surged up the table and now aim to better the Premier League’s record of most successive wins (set by the Gunners in the early 2000’s).

One man who has been on the periphery of such successes is Michy Batshuayi. During the summer, Michy was a wanted man. With West Ham and Arsenal in the race to sign him. The Belgian decided to trade the blue of Marseille for the blue of Chelsea.

With a hefty price tag on his shoulders and a reputation for goal getting, expectations were high.

Those expectations have so far not been met. Batshuayi has been struggling for starts and goals in a Chelsea shirt. Would Batshuayi have been better served in the red side of London?

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Batshuayi would (like at Chelsea) not be a guaranteed starter due to Alexis Sanchez’s current form. But the young striker would, in my mind, have been afforded more opportunities under Wenger than Conte has provided him so far.

Many Gooners still don’t see Sanchez as the permanent long term solution up front. And with Giroud not suiting the style Wenger wants to employ, a young striker like Batshuayi would have solved a lot of long term problems.

Our striking department currently consists of three converted wingers (in Sanchez, Lucas and Welbeck) and an old school big man in Olivier “Oli G” Giroud. This sounds like significant depth, but Welbeck and Lucas both seem to impress me more out wide. Had Batshuayi been purchased, there would be no question over his position: a poacher up top.

Batshuayi may be struggling at the minute but if he turns good at Chelsea, many Arsenal fans may have a sense of regret. The Belgian could have proved to have been a great acquisition for the Gunners. But that’s the nature of the transfer market: you win some you lose some.

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What is your view fellow Gooners? Should Batshuayi have gone to Arsenal instead of Chelsea? Or are you happy with our current crop of strikers?