Danny Welbeck; another Wenger master-stroke?
As far as strikers are concerned, few are more polarizing than new Arsenal signing Danny Welbeck. To some he is a talented prospect whose flaws are a product of a certain degree of rawness. To others he is the comical frontman, who’s lack of goalscoring is a true sign of mediocrity. Arsene Wenger appears to side with the former, and has tasked the young Englishman with playing in a position formerly filled by the likes of Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie.
Olivier Giroud is a prime example of how difficult this can be. While the Frenchman has proven to be a solid player in the past, Arsenal fans are simply too used to the very best. Welbeck will need to fulfil his brimming potential if he wants to endear himself to the Emirates faithful. While the job will be difficult, there are many reasons to believe that signing Welbeck could be a master-stroke by Arsene Wenger.
For starters, Welbeck possesses the raw talent to thrive under the right conditions. Equipped with blazing pace, impressive skill and a hulking 6"1 frame, the Englishman has all the attributes needed to be a quality frontman. He did not receive the necessary playing time to develop at United but he'll have more than enough at the Emirates. Whether it be Arsenal's lack of striking options, or Arsene Wenger's evident faith in the Welbeck (he did shell out a rather large transfer fee), Welbeck will likely become a regular starter for the Gunners. The mere fact that he'll consistently be able to play up top as opposed to the wing will do him a world of good. In a sense, moving to Arsenal is like a second chance for Welbeck. Much like formerly maligned striker Daniel Sturridge, he requires the proper nurturing to make the step up from talented youngster to top class star. There's no reason to believe that he won't get that at Arsenal.
Additionally, Welbeck is an ideal candidate to spearhead Arsenal's famous style of football. While many managers field powerful goal scoring front-men, Wenger tends to prefer a more unconventional type of striker. Players such as Robin Van Persie and Thierry Henry were known just as much for their creativity as for their goalscoring antics, while false 9 types such as Gervinho and Alexis Sanchez have occupied the role from time to time recently. Even Olivier Giroud has developed into an adept link-up forward, using his power, technique and vision to benefit his team-mates.
Welbeck fits this mould perfectly. While he may look like a powerful poacher, the Englishman's penchant for dropping deep and combining with midfielders is one of his more impressive attributes. In addition, his movement and running is very developed for someone his age. Welbeck is constantly on the move during matches, and often looks to make runs in behind the back four. With players such as Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere desperate for a mobile runner to feed, Welbeck should fit in seamlessly to the Arsenal attack.
While Welbeck has displayed serious potential in the past, he seemed to inexplicably pick up vast amounts of unwarranted stick. Yes he missed the occasional easy goal, and yes he would sometimes suffer a clumsy mistake. However that's expected from a young striker. The rawness he showed at United was visible in many respected attacker's early years. From Daniel Sturridge to the great Thierry Henry, it has often taken strikers up until their mid 20's to truly develop into top class players. For some reason or another, a certain faction of the football world seemed to pounce on Welbeck. His 1 goal season during 2012-2013 did him no favours, however he still couldn't manage to silence his critics after a promising 13 goal, 3 assist tally in 2013-2014. It seems he'll be forced to undergo a true breakout year before the general public will genuinely appreciate him, however there are few places better suited for him to do so than Arsenal.
Danny Welbeck to Arsenal is one of the most interesting transfers of the summer, and will likely benefit both parties in the long term. In Welbeck Arsenal have a skilful, mobile striker who will seamlessly slot into their system. In Arsenal Welbeck has the trust of a top manager and the opportunity to truly develop into a star. Whether Welbeck will actually fulfil his vast potential could be a slight cause for concern, however he's in the perfect environment to do so at the Emirates. The next year will be a very interesting one for Arsenal, and one of the key story lines will be how Danny Welbeck does in his new home.
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