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Arsenal will be without Danny Welbeck for around nine months, but according to the Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson manager Arsène Wenger isn't standing pat. Arsenal's already stepping up the search for a replacement; the club was already monitoring a number of strikers, including Alvaro Morata of Juventus and Mauro Icardi of Internazionale, but the level of urgency has now been raised. From Wilson:
Wenger had been tempted to assess his existing options this summer before deciding on whether to definitely add another striker for next season but the loss of Welbeck until at least next February will force a serious rethink and places a new urgency on the situation.
The names being floated by Wilson – Icardi, Morata, and Vincent Janssen most prominently – are some of Europe's top young strikers. Janssen was the top scorer in the Eredivisie last season playing for AZ, following in the luminous footsteps of Luis Suarez (as well as Memphis Depay and Wilfried Bony). Icardi let Serie A in scoring last season and is in the top five again this year. Morata's numbers aren't quite as gaudy, but with the number of goalscorers at Juve's disposal that's not shocking – and Morata's still being pursued by a number of big clubs. All three are 23 years old or younger, and would (likely) be good additions to the team.
Arsenal are in a bit of a bind at the striker position even without Welbeck's injury. Since returning from a 10-month layoff in February, Welbeck scored five goals – the same tally as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott had combined. Those are both players I've stuck up for a lot in the past, but they're simply not getting it done at the moment. Fresh blood was probably needed even if we wanted to give Dat Guy the chance to win the center forward job, but now it's a definite need. Hopefully we can get something done here.
Nobody's perfect (except maybe the Ornacle), but Jeremy Wilson's a reliable reporter. I'm encouraged by this, even if there's a long way to go before anything actually gets done.