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Wenger ‘Give Go-Ahead’ To Sign Brazilian Hitman

By on November 18, 2013

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been given the green light to sign Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato in January, according to reports.

Although we’ve enjoyed an excellent start to the season and currently sit top of both the Premier League and our Champions League group, a striker simply has to be brought in when the transfer window re-opens in January.

We’ve been hugely reliant on Olivier Giroud up front with the Frenchman starting every single game so far this season and the only viable back-up we have is Nicklas Bendtner – who’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be at the club and will look to leave as soon as possible.

Pato was on Wenger’s radar last January but we missed out on his signature after the 24-year-old opted to join Corinthians from AC Milan.

He’s rediscovered something like his best form back in his homeland but the player is understood to be keen on returning to Europe and Corinthians are willing to sell for around £10m or allow him to leave on a short-term loan in order to get his high wages off their books.

The Express claim that the Arsenal hierarchy have now given the boss the go-ahead to sign Pato, but the newspaper doesn’t state whether we’ll look to secure him on a permanent deal or a loan until the end of the season.

I personally think Pato would be a useful addition and ideally we could sign him on a six-month loan deal with the option to buy at £10m if things work out well.

He was a huge talent at AC Milan before injuries hampered his progress and he eventually lost his place in the team, leading to a move back to Brazil, but I think Wenger could get the best out of him again.

The only major stumbling block I see is whether the striker will be willing to risk his place in the Brazil squad for next summers World Cup by moving clubs mid-season. If he struggled to settle in the Premier League, it’s unlikely he’d force his way into the Brazil squad and he’s not going to want to miss out on a World Cup in his homeland.

Would you like to see Pato sign this January?

2 Comments

  1. Abu Rahman

    November 18, 2013 at 11:14 am

    He has the experience but i’d prefer Benzema because of his work rate.

  2. Chris

    November 18, 2013 at 11:42 am

    He’d be a good signing if we got the best out of him and perfect in a way because of his ability to play on the wing. I’m not sure Benzema would work simply because of the dispute between Giroud and Benzema in the national setup. It is just speculation but I’m sure that who plays and who doesn’t would be a yardstick on who to select for the national setup if they both played for Arsenal. We all know that a little competition can be a good thing, but given the good ethic we have in the squad at the moment I think that height of competition would sacrifice that ethic a bit. We might see players taking shots where a pass would be better, fighting to the point of injury or mental fatigue. I would like Benzema and Giroud at the club too but I don’t think it is a sustainable model if you want to build a team round a strong solidified team ethic. I feel the same way about signing Suarez; that is, I think it would encourage team members to play more idiocentrically which would decay the one asset our club has this year that has given us the edge – belief in the team bond.

    Pato, in this sense, would make sense only if you could keep him fit and eager because he is versatile and can play in a number of positions and is also good enough to give Giroud the occasional break and a kick up the arse. Not that he’s needed one this year…

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