Arsenal: AC Milan’s Andre Silva not what is needed

Arsenal have been linked with a move for AC Milan’s Andre Silva. The striker, while talented, is absolutely not what is needed this summer. There should be other priorities.

Arsenal have recently been linked with a move for AC Milan and Portugal striker Andre Silva. He has been underperforming this season with the Italian club, only scoring once so far this season since his big-money summer move from Porto. He desperately needs a fresh start. Should the Gunners be the ones to give it him?

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Well, I think not. There is a myriad of other clubs interested in his services, most notably Wolverhampton Wanderers, who clearly have the upper hand in negotiations with coach Nuno Espirito Santos having coached the striker at Porto, and the price will not be steep for a fairly unproven player suffering an underwhelming season.

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If he was to be brought to North London, Silva would add youth and a killer finish. His movement off the ball and technique with the ball is something to behold, though, he doesn’t seem to get enough playing time in Milan as homegrown talent Patrick Cutrone gets the nod ahead of him. He does have 18 caps for Portugal, so he obviously has talent, and he is an intriguing physical specimen if nothing else.

However, the question of need must be asked, and Arsenal don’t need another centre-forward. With Danny Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette used for cup competitions and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang used in the Premier League, it is difficult to see where Silva would fit. Moreover, his introduction would limit the playing time of a player like Eddie Nketiah, whose development is dependent on regular football. The signing would create a dilemma at the club unless they were willing to offload Welbeck or send Nketiah on loan. It doesn’t quite add up.

More pertinently, it is not what the team requires.

Instead, Arsenal should be looking for defensive help with both centre-back and goalkeeper positing major needs. Petr Cech isn’t getting any younger and David Ospina is only as good as a backup, while Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker are reaching the ends of their careers, with the latter retiring after this season.

With Calum Chambers and Rob Holding, who have impressed this season but are extremely raw and young, and a largely inconsistent Shkodran Mustafi, who sometimes looks like a world-class centre-back and then other times looks like a liability, as the only other options, it is hardly an inspiring collection of players.

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Arsene Wenger needs to figure out his priorities for the summer transfer window. It’s either he invests in more attacking talent or invests in players the team actually needs. It’s only a matter of time until we see what type of player he has in mind, but Andre Silva should certainly not be it.