If Arsenal pay 30 million pounds for Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony, someone with the Gunners needs to lose their job
Arsenal have been in need of a first-class striker for quite some time. The acquisition of such a forward was supposed to be among Arsene Wenger’s top priorities this summer.
Unfortunately for fans of the Gunners, no real progress has been made in the club’s quest to find a superior option to French starter Olivier Giroud. That lack of progress has the club still searching frantically for a talented front man as the summer transfer window starts to enter its home stretch. Rather shockingly, the latest target on Arsenal’s list is Manchester City forward Wilfried Bony.
Reports from England claim that Wenger and company are contemplating making a bold move for the former Swansea star. That, in and of itself, isn’t a huge surprise. Bony never really got a chance to get things going at City, and he did look the part of an excellent centre forward during his time with the Swans.
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The shocking fact is that Arsenal are actually considering allowing City to make a transfer profit on a player who is widely considered to be a huge transfer flop. City only paid 27.5 million pounds to acquire him from Swansea several season ago, yet somehow have Arsenal contemplating paying 30 million pounds for him this summer.
I realize that transfer prices have only increased over the past several seasons, but that doesn’t justify such a high price for Bony. He’s only hurt his stock after languishing on the City bench. The fact that his new boss, Pep Guardiola, doesn’t even think he’s capable of making the team’s bench, speaks volumes about how far his star has fallen.
It’s possible that Bony could arrive at The Emirates and revive his failing career. He could certainly be an upgrade to Olivier Giroud at the front of the Arsenal attack. That’s not exactly an amazingly high standard for him to chase. From that perspective, I understand Arsenal’s interest in him.
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That doesn’t mean they have any business paying a transfer fee anywhere near 30 million pounds for Bony though. It’s not as if City have any transfer leverage as it relates to the striker. They’ve already made it clear they have no use for his services and will certainly part with him this summer. Before news broke of Arsenal’s interest, I thought City would be lucky to get a transfer fee in the ballpark of 20 million pounds for their distressed asset.
Arsenal have every right to be interested in purchasing Wilfried Bony, but paying 30 million pounds for him is insane. If Wenger sanctions that type of bid, it might really be the for the French manager to be put out to pasture.