So, after months of speculation, it seems that Emmanuel Adebayor’s departure from Arsenal is inevitable. With Manchester City’s spending spree the talk of the town at the moment, the asking price of £25 million, which was once astronomical for clubs like AC Milan, seems to be pocket change for the Eastlanders. Given Arsenal gaffer Arsene Wenger’s tendency to allow any unsettled player to leave the Emirates without much opposition, the Togolese striker seems headed to the City of Manchester Stadium sooner rather than later.
While the transfer fee is sure to boost Arsenal’s finances, it will also weaken the club’s attacking options, particularly in the final third. With injury-prone Robin Van Persie and the controversial Nicklas Bendtner leading the Gunners in that part of the pitch, it is obvious that Arsenal needs a solid replacement for Adebayor. Judging by the rumor-mill, it seems that Girondins Bordeaux’s Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh is headed to North London. In my opinion, however, Wenger should try and sweeten the Adebayor deal further before splashing that cash elsewhere.
Allow me to elaborate on what I just proposed. With Manchester City’s strike force certainly needing trimming, Wenger can ask City to add Craig Bellamy, Felipe Caicedo, or Valeri Bojinov to the mix when offloading Adebayor. I am sure the Sky Blues won’t have too much of an objection to such a deal as they are looking to release their utility players anyways. More importantly, if Arsenal cannot agree upon a surplus Manchester City striker, why not request City to factor the promising young midfielder Michael Johnson into the deal?
This way, City could pay a little less than £25 million while the Gunners will be able to add that much needed holding midfielder to their squad. Not only would that be a smart piece of business for both clubs involved, but both could possibly improve their reputations significantly. That is, City can get a break from being labelled as overspenders while the Gunners can finally unveil a well-known Englishman.
Arsene Wenger the negotiator or the financier? Have your say in the comments section below!