Despite being linked on a regular basis to the likes of Christopher Samba, Gary Cahill and Joey Barton, the most underwhelming transfer rumour from an Arsenal fan point of view has to be the Gunner’s being linked with Wolves striker Kevin Doyle.
After last seasons’ failings, Arsene Wenger is purportedly on the hunt for some real quality; for players with the ability to guide the Gunner’s to success next season.
Could Kevin Doyle be just the man that Arsenal are looking for?
It’s clear that the Gunners need somebody who can partner Robin Van Persie upfront. Nicklas Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh have both underwhelmed and there has been rumours that the big Dane will leave the club this summer. If Van Persie had a world-class strike-partner beside him, the Gunner’s frontline would truly be a terrifying prospect. The question remains however: is Kevin Doyle a world class striker?
Nobody rates Kevin Doyle more than Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, who has previously claimed that it would take a bid of around £50m to seriously convince him to part services with Doyle. Realistically though, Doyle is only worth around £10-12m and is likely to jump at the opportunity to play for a big side.
For too long now Arsenal have relied on players like Nicklas Bendtner: players who just don’t have the ability to guide the Gunners towards trophies. In my opinion, Doyle would be another of these players. There’s a reason why he has spent most of his career playing for clubs towards the bottom of the Premier League. He’s a workhorse and he grabs a fair few goals, but in terms of talent he remains some way off the likes of Robin Van Persie.
According to @Orbinho, he’s also someway behind Bendtner in terms of ability. Between 2008-11, Bendtner grabbed 17 goals, whilst Doyle picked up 14. Bendtner scored a goal every 205 minutes, whilst Doyle only scored every 363 minutes. What’s more Bendtner also picked up an assist every 435 minutes, whilst Doyle only earned an assist every 1017 minutes, making the Danish striker the better all round player.
Why should Arsenal send one striker packing to bring in another striker who isn’t as good statistically? The only answer can be that Doyle is a hard-worker who will chase down lost causes. Not every player in a team needs to have the technical ability of men like Robin Van Persie. Dirk Kuyt has carved out a niche for himself at Liverpool because of the sheer amount of effort that he puts in on a weekly basis.
But that isn’t the kind of signing that Arsenal need at the moment. Sure you can always use people who work hard on your team, but it’s important to counterbalance all this effort with a certain degree of effectiveness. It’s clear to me that Kevin Doyle isn’t Arsenal quality and that he’d be better served at a mid-table side. I for one hope that this is a rumour that doesn’t have any grounding.
Click HERE to see the original article. This article was first published on ThisIsFutbol
Written by Harry Cloke
to be fair, id take akinbiyi over Bendtner. atleast Akinbiyi knows hes s h i t
Using those statistics to compare Bendtner & Doyle’s assists’goals is ridiculously unfair, you are totally disregarding the quality of each player’s teammates and the fact that Wolves are a very low-scoring side who prioritise conceding as few goals as possible, while Arsenal obviously are an attacking team. I would much rather have Doyle than Bendtner, he has similar qualities to Dirk Kuyt who has been one of Liverpool’s top players.
Doyle a fantastic player but Arsenal needs a player like Guisippe Rossi,Nilmar or even Fernando Llorente upfronts to assists Persie or fill the gap when he is Injured.
@Aidangooner I am a liverpool fan but your comment is the most sensible i have read today, you took the words right out of my mouth…
Kevin Doyle is a very good player. It’s a bloody good job the club don’t listen to the fans because if they listened to every blog opinion they wouldn’t get anything done. Get out more mate – look objectively at other team’s players. Bendtner is a good player as well, I like him but I can tell you know I would pick Doyle over Bendtner, as he has impressed in what is not a top 4 side.