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According to Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol, Arsenal and Belgian club KAS Eupen are engaged in talks over the transfer of 19 year-old Nigerian striker, and joint-top scorer in this year’s Jupiler Pro League, Henry Onyekuru, whose release clause stands at a paltry £6.8 million.
Arsenal in talks to sign Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru from Belgian side KAS Eupen. Release clause £6.8m. Top scorer in Belgium
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) May 22, 2017
The first, natural reaction of Arsenal supporters worldwide will invariably be something of the sort:
“This is what you get when you don’t qualify for Champions League!”, or
“Typical Arsene Wenger purchase ffs Kroenke Out”, or
“HUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRR!”
Maybe your first reaction was one of the three listed above. For your sake and my sanity, I hope not. But my first reaction was “£6.8 million for a backup striker is a hell of a lot more reasonable than the £17 million spent on Lucas, who probably didn’t envision his career at Arsenal to be one that confines him to the bench most weeks.”
But that’s what this kind of purchase should be and most-likely is.
Onyekuru’s spent two seasons at Eupen, where he’s scored 29 goals - 22 of them coming this season alone - through the ripe age of 19. Clearly the kid has a knack for putting the ball in the net at a very decent rate, and if Arsenal are able to spend the kind of low fee that Eupen’s rumored to have placed on his head for a guy who will, most likely, continue to develop as a player from the level he’s at now while having the modest expectations that he won’t come right in and demand to be starting on a weekly basis, then that is absolutely money worth spending - regardless of what European competition Arsenal qualified for next season.