Domestic English football came to a conclusion for the 2014-15 season yesterday, with Arsenal worthy winners of the FA Cup, defeating Aston Villa 4-0.
The attacking prowess of the Gunners was too much for Tim Sherwood’s men to handle, with the North London club looking ready to put forward a title challenge next season.
Theo Walcott put in an inspired performance as the victors’ as their lone frontman, scoring the first goal, while Olivier Giroud came off the bench to round off the rout with his side’s fourth goal.
Despite supreme attacking options at Arsene Wenger’s disposal, the Emirates Stadium outfit continue to be linked with a host of new strikers.
The latest rumbling has The Daily Mail state that the Gunners are considering a move for Christian Benteke as an alternative to signing Jackson Martinez.
The Villa forward had a frustrating afternoon at Wembley but has shown over the last couple of seasons that he has what it takes to consistently score goals in English football’s top flight.
The powerful Belgian has been a key reason that the Birmingham-based club avoided relegation this season and looked to be getting back to his scintillating best in the second half of the campaign.
But would Benteke be a good signing for Arsenal?
On first sight, the Belgium international looks like an ideal addition for the North London club.
Arsenal have been torn between playing Giroud for his physical presence and Walcott for his pace as the team’s striker.
Benteke on the other hand has a combination of both players’ admirable qualities, with the physique to hold the ball up better than Walcott and the pace to offer more of a threat in behind opposition defences than Giroud can.
With Benteke younger than Martinez and having already adapted to English football, the Villa man seems like a more appealing option than the Colombian.
The Belgian’s problems at Villa were well highlighted against Arsenal, as the burly forward had to fight tooth and nail for possession and was starved of quality supply.
Despite this, Benteke would not look out of place in the Gunners’ attack and would surely thrive with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil creating chances for him.
With Wenger’s tried-and-tested system of playing only one striker, should Benteke arrive it could well mark the end of Walcott’s time in North London, however, with competition for places intense.
Tim Sherwood recently stated that should Villa’s prize asset leave the club, he should spurn a move to Liverpool and wait for one of the Champions League qualified teams to come knocking.
In this instance, signing for Arsenal over the Reds is a no-brainer, with the prospect of fighting for silverware more evident at the North London club.
Brendan Rodgers’ men desperately need a striker of Benteke’s ilk and would be best advised to move quickly for him – suitors both in England and overseas will not be in short supply.
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