Heading into the second half of the season, Arsenal seem eager to add another player to their forward line after yet another injury has depleted it. The main target? Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid, very likely to join the club on loan.
With Theo Walcott most likely out for the rest of the season with his torn ACL, Wenger is trying to add someone to the mix. Walcott hasn’t been playing that much so far because of an injury that kept him out for most of the first half this season, but has been quite productive in recent matches, finding himself in the lineup for most of December.
Morata started out this season at Real Madrid feeling like this is going to be his big break. Karim Benzema was struggling, and the young, home-grown player was backed by the fans to stop being a regular sub and turn into the team’s starting striker.
Despite these demands, Morata has started only once in the league for Real Madrid, playing a total of 10 matches and scoring 2 goals. Benzema doing better and more playing time for another young player that came through the club’s youth system, Jese, has shoved Morata out of the picture, playing a total of 52 minutes since starting for the team back on October 19.
While Wenger would love to add a young player that can play as a striker and a winger, it’s unclear whether Morata would love to join the Gunners. His main goal right now is to get playing time, and it’s quite clear that at least early on, he won’t be getting too many minutes unless more injuries pave his way into the lineup. The deal will be a loan deal, so it’s not like it’ll be Wenger investing too much money or time to develop Morata. This is simply to plug in some holes, as Real Madrid aren’t interested in selling the player.
If the Real Madrid deal doesn’t turn out well, Arsenal might be interested in Jackson Martinez of Porto. That means a much more expensive signing, for a much older player (27 and not 21) who is more experienced, but much more limited in his playing style.