Arsenal in for Wolves striker Kevin Doyle

On his way to Arsenal?

There is a lot of speculation going around about who Arsenal‘s first major signing would be… especially after they face the possibility of an exodus of key players in the form of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas ,Gael Clichy and others. Clichy has already completed his switch to Man City and it’s highly likely that his French colleague Nasri too would join him at Eastlands soon.

After being linked with a variety of players, the latest to join the list of Arsenal targets is Wolves’ ace forward and Ireland international Kevin Doyle. Doyle has scored 14 goals in 60 appearances for the West Midlands outfit. He managed to net 5 goals in an injury-plagued last season. He’s by no means glamorous, but he sure is an exciting bloke to have in the side.

While there is a lot of suspicion about Doyle’s capabilities and whether he is good enough to don Arsenal colors, he could just be a perfect replacement for want-way striker Niklas Bendtner, who has been slagged off on a regular basis by a big faction of Arsenal fans for being too lethargic and lacking the capability to deliver when it matters most. Kevin Doyle on the other hand has an indefatigable work rate and has been an indispensible part of Wolves’ setup as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.

It won’t be easy though, as the Irishman has 2 years left on his contract and Wolves rate him very highly. The importance of Doyle in the Wolves setup can be judged by manager Mick McCarthy’s recent statement in which he mentioned he wouldn’t part with Doyle below 50 million pounds and will fend off interest from Arsene Wenger, who is a big admirer of the former Reading and Cork City striker. Wolves chairman Steve Morgan however, sounded a lot more pragmatic. Morgan was quoted as saying… “I’m sure we’ll have those conversations with Kevin and his agent at the right time.” He went on to add… “Kevin has been a fantastic signing for the club and is a really, really key player for us. We’d like to secure his services going forward.”

Realistically speaking, Arsenal will have to shell out about 12-15 million pounds for the Molineux hitman. Sure, he would be a better option as compared to the lanky Dane up front but whether usually stingy Wenger would be willing to spend this amount on a second choice forward after Van Persie is a question mark. Persie can be efficient on the flanks and make way for Doyle up front but whether Wenger will put that much faith in Kevin remains to be seen.