There’s little point in glossing over the fantastic numbers that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has out up in recent seasons—we’re all aware of those. But it is worth looking towards and addressing the notion that the Dutchman would be a poor acquisition for Arsenal. As January draws closer, the links between club and player seem to be intensifying; there’s no smoke without fire, and all that. But shockingly there have been ideas flying around that suggest the striker is not what Arsenal are looking for. It is a fair point to be made, after all the player is not the most mobile and doesn’t really fit into the Arsene Wenger mould of a typical signing, one way or another. But so what if Huntelaar doesn’t fit into Arsenal’s style of play? Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe it’s the idea that the club do not need a player like him, you know, someone who is capable of scoring when given half a chance in the box. Maybe the idea shouldn’t be how he doesn’t fit, but rather how the team can set up to get the most out of him. He’s obviously a fantastic striker, and those ‘failed’ years at Real Madrid and AC Milan were nothing other than player and club not being on the same page—it shouldn’t take away from the player that he really is. Wenger should go all out to sign him because there’s a very good chance that he may be the difference between a £30 million windfall next season or the loss of so much more.
