After missing out on Morata who returned to Real Madrid and now on Higuain who joined Juventus, Wenger might still get a chance to bring in a striker. According to the Telegraph, Mario Mandzukic is looking to leave after a poor season and after seeing Higuain and Pjaca join the Serie A champions. The 30-year-old would become a 3rd option for Allegri who will surely use Napoli’s former striker and Dybala up front. Then there’s Simone Zaza who seems to be a club favorite. There is a very small chance for Mandzukic to be a regular next season thus his desire to leave. If Arsenal play their cards right, they might get a shot at the Croatian who should not have a problem changing clubs after spending just 1 year in Serie A.
With a scoring rate of about a goal every two matches, and with a price tag of around £13million, Mandzukic could fill in the gap left by Welbeck who is very likely to miss most of this season. Juvenuts’ No.9 would be decent competition for Giroud and would bring some speed to the table. Even though he is fairly massive, he does have an increased reaction time and a bit more spunk off the block start.
Given what Gazidis said these days and given the fact that players like Gameiro, Ben Yedder and other Arsenal targets have agreed to terms with other clubs, Mandzukic looks like a highly viable solution. If Wenger manages to negotiate down from what Juventus want right now, it would not angry anyone to have this former Bayern Munich striker join the North Londoners. One other thing worth mentioning is that Mandzukic is as tough as they come. In the past 6 years he only dealt with minor injuries which kept him off the bench for an average of 10 days per season. Arsenal’s biggest problem is consistency so bringing the Croatian to Emirates would lower the chances to see the Gunners left without a striker by the middle of the season.
Wenger should move fast though as chances like these don’t come around too often. Even if he is 30-years-old he still has a lot to offer. He has the experience, the physique and the drive to be quite helpful. He averages around 20 goals per season which come with at least 4-5 assists as well. If he manages to produce that for Arsenal while being signed for under £15million, Mandzukic will be a sure win.