Would Higuain have improved Arsenal?

 
Arsenal and Napoli have not previously met in the Champions League, but the two sides go into their group stage clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night with much in common.
Both have made strong starts to their league campaigns; five successive wins for the Gunners since losing to Aston Villa puts them at the Premier League summit, while only a recent 2-2 draw with Sassuolo prevented the Azzurri from sharing top spot in Serie A with Roma.
Outlay
But just as significant is the fact that, between them, they have almost paid off Real Madrid’s £80m plus outlay on Gareth Bale.
Arsene Wenger’s decision to shell out £42m on Germany international Mesut Ozil was certainly one of the more eye catching deals completed before the August transfer window slammed shut.
However, before the 24-year-old suddenly appeared on the Frenchman’s radar, much of the summer was spent chasing a high profile South American striker – no, not Luis Suarez, but Gonzalo Higuain, who snubbed a North London switch for Naples in a deal worth £34.5m.
“We were working on two or three targets and Higuain was one of them,” Wenger was quoted by ESPN as saying. “It didn’t come off in the end, but that doesn’t take anything away from his quality.
“As we know, in the end Real Madrid sold two great players, one of them went to Napoli, one went to Arsenal so it’s 1-1 on that front.”
Costly
Chances are, though, the two sides won’t be level over the next five rounds of fixtures in Europe and, in a pool which also contains Borussia Dortmund, missing out on Higuain could prove costly if Europa League football – at best - is played at Ashburton Grove in February.
Yes Olivier Giroud has begun 2013-14 in good scoring form with five goals from nine games in all competitions, while midfielder Aaron Ramsey is also chipping in with eight strikes from as many matches.
You could also argue defensive areas, particularly an outstanding goalkeeper plus an additional centre-half and holding midfielder, should have been prioritised over a forward and that recent “foxes in the box” at Arsenal such as Emmanuel Adebayor have disappointed.
But Giroud is just as capable of missing sitters as finding the net – his effort which missed the target on the stroke of half-time against Swansea City last Saturday being a case in point – and Ramsey’s record in front of goal is unlikely to continue ad infinitum.
Equally one might say Mesut Ozil – however much his signing changes perceptions about the Gunners ambition and despite having undoubted quality – was a luxury buy bearing in mind  Wenger had plenty of attacking midfielders already at his disposal.
Goal
Nor would it be fair to portray Higuain solely as a goal hanger when you consider Cristiano Ronaldo’s licence to roam from the left under Jose Mourinho directly impacted on the Argentine, giving the former River Plate man little room to manoeuvre in the penalty area.
Even with Ronaldo as the dominant force, the French-born forward still had a goal ratio of 1:2 or better La Liga since 2009 and an overall total of 122 strikes from 264 games – including two iffy seasons at the beginning of his Real career when acclimatising to Europe.
The 25-year-old is also comfortable playing wide as part of an attacking trio – a role he has played with aplomb for Argentina alongside Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi during the current World Cup qualifiers, where he has scored nine goals.
In contrast one or two members of Arsenal’s current front line, including Lukas Podolski before he was sidelined with a hamstring injury, sometimes look uncomfortable when they move away from the centre.
So it’s not difficult to see why some think Higuain would have been an impressive addition to the Gunners squad and a massive upgrade on Yaya Sanogo and Nicklas Bendtner – both of whom are unlikely to make Giroud and Podolski raise their respective games.
Settled
And if Wenger had any doubts as to whether or not Higuain could settle quickly then he should take note of the way his missed transfer target has begun life at Napoli under Rafael Benitez.
Four goals from his first seven appearances – including decisive strikes against Milan in Serie A and against Dortmund in the first round of Champions League fixtures – has put the Azzurri amongst the pacesetters in Italy and given them a solid platform in Europe.
Take into the account the added motivation of trying to prove Arsenal that they were wrong not to sign him and tomorrow could see Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker et al having a busier evening than they would like.
The North London club did well to win in Marseille a fortnight ago, but the French side are perhaps the weakest in Group F and they arguably shaded the balance of play for the first hour of that match.
Don’t be surprised to see their forward momentum checked by the very man who might have worn the red and white colours this term.
http://www.touchlinetalk.com/higuain-improved-arsenal/68092/