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Arsenal recently suffered a 6-0 trashing at the hands of Chelsea who effectively ended the Gunners title chances. The London club badly need a striker to take the burden off Olivier Giroud who has played almost every game this season. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will get quite a bit of money to spend in the summer and will surely spend most of it on a top class striker. Here are 5 strikers who could be seen in an Arsenal shirt next season.
#1 Mario Mandzukic
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The Croatian hitman earned a transfer to Bayern Munich after an impressive performance in Euro 2012 where he finished as joint top scorer with 3 goals. Mandzukic got off to a flying start with the Bavarians scoring 22 goals in his first season, including 1 in the Champions League final against Dortmund, which helped them win the treble.
The striker improved in his second season, netting 23 goals and is on course to pick up his second Bundesliga medal. However Mandzukic may not get to shine much next season as Robert Lewandowski is set to arrive at Bayern in the summer. The 27-year-old may have to play second fiddle in the team as Lewandowski is sure to partner Muller up front. It would be a shame to see a striker of Mandzukic’s talents just warming the bench leaving the door open for a move away from Germany. Arsenal will be the perfect place for Mandzukic as he is a proven goalscorer and is capable of leading the Gunners attack along with Giroud. The striker won’t come cheap but will be worth the expense.
#2 Alvaro Morata
The young Spaniard is a product of Real Madrid’s youth academy and was a loan target for Arsenal in January but the deal fell through. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is said to be so impressed with Morata’s skills that he has made him atop target for the summer. The 21-year-old possesses lethal finishing abilities, good aerial abilities along with superb possession and could be a big part of the Spanish national team in the coming years.
Rumours have stated that Morata is keen on a move to Arsenal and has already agreed to move to London in the summer. Real Madrid will not be keen to sell one of their home grown stars but could be tempted to part with Morata if Arsenal offer a good price. Morata may not have immediate success at Arsenal but can mature into a top class striker under Arsene Wenger who is famous for his reputation with young players.
#3 Mario Balotelli
Everyone will agree that Mario Balotelli left England too soon. The Italian left Manchester City after scoring 30 goals in just 80 appearances including 17 in City’s title winning 2011-2012 season. Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini sold Balotelli to AC Milan for €20 million as he felt that the striker needed to go back to his homeland to fulfil his brilliant potential.
The 23-year-old was an instant hit at Milan and has matured into one of the best penalty takers in the world but has grown unsettled due to his team’s poor league position and the horrible racism that continues to plague Serie A. Balotelli may fancy a move back to the Premier League as he may feel that he has unfinished business in England. Arsenal will be a perfect place for the striker to work his magic but Arsene Wenger may be put off by Balotelli’s disciplinary issues. If Wenger succeeds in straightening Balotelli out then he’ll have one of the world’s best strikers in his team.
#4 Loic Remy
The QPR striker is having a stellar season with temporary club Newcastle United and may leave his parent club for one of the bigger teams. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has stated that it will be difficult to keep hold of Remy, who has netted 13 goals this season, and is half expecting the striker to move elsewhere.
Remy himself has stated that he wants to play for one of the big clubs before he retires and may fancy joining Arsenal in order to play Champions League football as well as working with fellow compatriot Arsene Wenger. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger may be tempted to sign Remy to partner Giroud and is capable of acquiring his services at a bargain price from Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
#5 Jackson Martinez
The Columbian striker is another player who is keen on a move to England and has confessed that he would love to move to Arsenal as he supported the club as a boy. Martinez is a goal machine and has hit 54 goals in 80 appearances for Porto, including 31 in his first season, since joining them in 2012. Martinez may want to test his skills in England so if Arsenal come calling he will jump at their offer.
Wenger is sure to be aware of his talents by now and may make a move to sign the striker before the World Cup as his price will shoot up if he performs well in the tournament. The prospect of playing Champions League football with an attacking team like Arsenal may be too tempting to refuse. Porto are known to slap exorbitant price tags on all their players which may act as a stumbling block for Arsenal if they decide to try and sign Martinez.
