If it’s not going to be Klaas-Jan Huntelaar or Fernando Llorente, it should be Roberto Soldado. Tearing up good La Liga sides is disappointing to see; it’s even more worrying when bad La Liga sides are stripped of their most valuable assets. Valencia are not a poor team (and I’m specifically talking about on-pitch quality rather than finances), but this season has brought to the surface all the problems that do exist. One of the few bright sparks in this team of inflated egos is Soldado, and perhaps far more than the other two strikers, he fit’s the typical Wenger signing. The Arsenal manager wants mobile players, he wants players who can adapt to his style of play, but he also desperately needs reinforcements in attack. Soldado plays the lone striker role well and is more than capable of rising to the challenge. He’s a much better target than the striker he appears to be battling with for a place in the Spain squad—Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo, and Valencia’s financial woes means he’d likely fall into Arsenal’s preferred price range. Soldado would be a massive step up from the alternative’s Wenger has to Olivier Giroud, while the backing of a big club name could do a lot to elevate the Spaniards game even further. More than anything, Soldado is a proven striker in his prime and a capable leader on the pitch—everything Arsenal should be looking for.
