Arsenal may make a January move for Valencia forward Roberto Soldado as Arsene Wenger looks to extend his attacking options.
At the moment all the goal-scoring weight falls on the shoulders of captain, Robin van Persie, a burden he has so far gleefully accepted.
The Dutchmen’s tally for this calendar year in fact has been exceptional, but the worry amongst Arsenal fans is that should a injury befall him, as has done on many occasions in the past, where will their goals come from?
Summer purchases Gervinho and Park Chu-Young are far from prolific and the former has developed a peculiar hesitancy in one-on-one situations.
So far in his time at the Mestalla, Soldado has scored 26 in 47 appearances with nine goals in 14 games this season, although not as good as Van Persie’s 14 in 14, he could till be a player to lighten the load in the second half of the campaign.
As with all January transfer acquisitions, Valencia would expect top money for their main striker, something Wenger is not averse to if he has his mind set on a player.
Valencia are not in the greatest of financial situations and have become a bit of a selling club in order to keep themselves going, so as long as Arsenal have the funds and the will this deal could happen.
The club have attempted a model of self-sufficiency over the years with players such as Geika Mendieta, Killy Gonzalez, Gerard, Claudio Lopez and more recently Raul Albiol, David Villa and Silva all being sold on as the conveyor belt keeps on rolling.
Real Madrid youth product, Soldado, was signed for £10 million from Getafe 18 months ago so given his rise in performance and the length of time left on his contract a fee in excess of £15 million would not be out of the question.
Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on the 26-year-old so there could be a bit of a battle to sign him, if not in January then maybe in the summer.
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Written by Christopher Dyer
