Who is... Andrea Belotti- Arsenal Transfer Target?

You may remember that last time, I promised that there would be an article on why Chelsea had been so dominant in the Premier League of recent times, however following their defeat to Tottenham in midweek, the article now seems a little redundant. So, instead today's post will be a little guide to the man who Sky Sports reported today was subject to a rejected £56 million bid from Arsenal, Andrea Belotti. As he may be somewhat of an unknown quantity to many, this piece will look at who he is, why clubs are interested in him and finally what the news of this bid means for Arsenal.

Who is Andrea Belotti and why are clubs chasing him?

Belotti is a 23 year old, 5'11'' Italian striker who plays for Serie A club Torino. He was born in Calcinate, Italy on December 20th 1993, and began his youth career in 2003 at Grumellese before joining Serie B club AbinoLeffe in 2006. He made his AbinoLeffe debut on March 10th 2012 and went on to make 38 first team league appearances and scoring 14 goals over two years. At the start of the 2013-14 season,then-recently relegated Serie B side Palermo signed Belotti on a co-ownership deal. Whilst at the Sicilian side, Belotti helped Palermo return to Serie A, scoring 10 goals in 24 league games in his first season. He spent one year with Palermo in Serie A, appearing in every one of their 38 games, scoring 6 goals. In the summer of 2015, he was signed by Torino for 7.5 million Euros and scored 12 league goals in 35 games in his debut season. 

Whilst these stats aren't too shabby, it's Belotti's performances this season that have seen him gain interest from top European clubs like Arsenal. In the 16 league games that he's played in this season, Belotti has managed to rack up an impressive 13 goals, including his first career hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Bologna in August. This scintillating form has seen him called up 5 times to the Italian senior national team since August, and in these 5 appearances he has already managed to score 3 times. This, when added to his 33 other youth side appearances (scoring 15 goals), gives him an impressive international resume for a man of just 23 years of age.

Belotti's form means that many top clubs may soon come calling.

Torino have recognised that Belotti is a top talent, and accordingly, in December the club tied him down until 2021 with a new contract that contained an 100 million Euro buyout clause for foreign sides. However, it does seem that the Italian side will have a tough time keeping hold of the young striker who, as a versatile forward capable of playing anywhere across the front line, is already being compared to compatriots Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Boninsegna due to his strength, quality of movement and deadly finishing. These comparisons have no doubt attracted many suitors from across Europe, which makes the emergence of this reported bid seemingly unsurprising. But in reality, the bid may not be good news for Arsenal...

What is the significance of the rumoured bid from Arsenal?

Despite Belotti's obvious quality, the £56 million bid from Arsenal that was reported by Torino's Sporting Director Gianluca Petrachi, is still shocking and potentially bad news for Arsenal fans. This is because, if it turns out that there was in fact a bid from Arsenal at around the £50 million mark, then it seems likely that Arsene Wenger, a usually shrewd manager, has become resigned to the likelihood of Arsenal star, Alexis Sanchez, leaving the club. Sanchez has only 18 months left to run on his contract, and this has been a major point of worry for all Arsenal fans, who recognise that Sanchez has been Arsenal's star player for the past few seasons and that without his attacking contributions and tireless work ethic, the North London club would be far worse off. If it is true that the player himself is looking for a big money move to China or to join a club that he believes would see him win more trophies such as Juventus or Manchester City, then the huge bid for Belotti would make sense. Either way, there is definitely cause for concern for Gunners' fans.

In summary, Belotti is an emerging star in European football, and interest in him was inevitable after a string of impressive performances this season. However, a potential bid from Arsenal may not be indicative of the beginning of the big money spending that for so many years Arsenal fans have yearned for, rather it may be a sign that the club are preparing to lose their talisman in Alexis Sanchez, and have began to chase a potential replacement. Either way it promises to be an intriguing January transfer window.

Thanks for reading,
James
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Can Theo Walcott be Arsenal's number 1 striker?

Arsenal fans love to argue. And if they're not arguing about Wenger and his transfer policy then they are debating whether Englishman Theo Walcott should start up front or not. And as an Arsenal fan and someone who has watched him for many years I can say with certainty that he should definitely not be the starting striker, and in this article I will explain my reasoning behind this.

Firstly he isn't striker material. There is no question that he is fast, lightning fast, but his finishing isn't up to standard. Despite scoring today against Stoke, it stood out to me that he had missed two good chances beforehand. And in the fixture before, away at Newcastle, he similarly spurned some clear cut chances. Furthermore he lacks the strength needed to hold up the ball or to be a presence in the box from set-pieces and crosses. Finally he isn't adaptable enough, if Arsenal aren't playing balls in behind the defence then he is useless. This was proved in the Community Shield against Chelsea where he was ineffective and played out of the game by a disciplined back line.

His speed and agility mean he is much more effective when played as a winger, where he can cut inside and score, as shown today by his goal against Stoke.

However at this point many Arsenal fans would say that he has 11 goals in his last 11 Premier League starts and surely that sort of record is good enough to be the first team striker. However when you delve a little deeper, you can see that this stat is misleading.   

The first thing to take from this table is that he has only started 11 Premier League games in around 21 months, which shows a lack of consistency and an injury issue. Secondly most of his starts (bar four) are at home and all but two of the eleven were against teams that wouldn't be considered title contenders. Furthermore while he has scored 11 in 11, 7 of them came in just three matches, two of which were not "big" matches and the one that was ended in defeat. The one result that stands out in this table is the hat-trick against West Brom however it is crucial to note that this game was one that essentially meant nothing with 3rd place secured for Arsenal and West Brom safe in the Premier League.

Whilst he shows flashes of brilliance, I think a number of factors such as the expectation of not only Arsenal fans but the England fans as well has caused a sort of hysteria to build around Walcott when he rarely shines. A prime example of this for me is when he scored a hat-trick away at Croatia in 2008. As soon as this happened, a wave of excitement built and, while he didn't really build on it, for the next few years this hat-trick was used as a some sort of excuse when his ability was questioned or he underperformed. And even now, when a fan or pundit dares to question Theo, the Arsenal "faithful" will descend on social media with a barrage of fifa-fuelled, seemingly patriotic statements about his great "pace" and Thierry Henry like characteristics. The latter is a praise that he does not deserve. In fact it is counter-productive to compare him to Henry because he hasn't shown that ability and therefore the pressure that comparison brings is unwarranted. 

Now I'm not saying Walcott isn't a good player, he is. Indeed he is a useful weapon in the Arsenal squad especially from the bench where his quickness and incisive runs can cut apart a weary defence. However I am saying that he is not the great player that many think he is. Maybe this is a result of the price paid for him at such a young age and the potential that seemingly represented but nevertheless the idea that he is the answer to Arsenal's striker problem is simply ridiculous. I think in fact that Wenger knows this as he is reluctant to start Walcott upfront and hence he only does so to appease the fans in low-risk games.

In summary, whilst Walcott may be able to produce on occasion, he lacks the consistency, strength, composure and natural positioning to be the first team forward, and no amount of "Theo" chants will change that.

Thanks for reading,

James

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