Arsenal: Hakan Calhanoglu no James Rodriguez

Arsenal are touted to be considering hijacking Chelsea’s move for Hakan Calhanoglu. While he is a tidy, attacking midfielder, he is no James Rodriguez.

As the summer transfer window begins to change gear with rumours building and reports buzzing, Arsenal are still awaiting their major summer addition. By this time last year, they had already announced the signing of Granit Xhaka. That is not to say that a major player will not be brought in over the coming months. But the clock is ticking and doubt is beginning to creep in.

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That doubt is only enhanced by recent rumours linking the Gunners with Hakan Calhanoglu. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has the been subject of intense interest from a variety of different clubs across the continent, from Chelsea to Lazio, and his agent revealed that he will look to leave during this summer window.

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And Calhanoglu is a wonderfully gifted attacking midfielder. He sees the pitch with great creativity and ingenuity, playing neat reverse passes, linking up play tidily, unlocking opposing defences in the process. He also has an excellent set piece delivery and will rack up the assists from a number of different positions on the pitch.

But he is not the established star that Arsenal are in need of. He is not, for example, a James Rodriguez. The Colombian attacking midfield star has proven his qualities for a number of different teams, from Porto to Monaco to Real Madrid, as well as impressing for the national side on the biggest stage.

Calhanoglu is a talented player who would bring another wrinkle to the midfield. But he is not the marquee signing that fans are pining for. Rodriguez would be. Moreover, given the forthright statements of Arsene Wenger, Ivan Gazidis and even Stan Kroenke proclaiming the club’s ambition to challenge for titles, both on domestic and European fronts, for that to be vindicated, spending on substantial players must follow.

Such statements seem a little naive and unrealistic without the action to back them up in the transfer window. How can you claim to be ambitious without assembling a squad that boasts the players to challenge?

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The proof will be in the pudding, as the saying goes, and Calhanoglu is not the pudding that would have been wanted. Rodriguez, though, is, and with his standing at Real far from certain, a move for the player could be what inspires a waning and underwhelmed fan base.