Arsenal Transfer Rumors: 6 Potential Partners for Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie has been Arsenal's shining light this season, scoring crucial goals and often lifting the side up by himself when those around him cannot perform.

But that is exactly the issue with the striker: He is often overused and lacks sufficient support to help him with the duty of being the Gunners' best player.

A forward-thinking summer could change that. If Arsenal buy one or two of the strikers that the club has been linked to, both van Persie's comfort level and the general quality of the attack will be markedly improved.

Here are six men they could target.

Matias Suarez

The Argentine Suarez has been linked with Arsenal for some time, and his performances for Anderlecht have caught the attention of numerous big clubs, most notably Liverpool.

He possesses great finishing ability and movement and could be the sort of goal-poaching No. 9 that Eduardo was when he was at Arsenal and that the Gunners have lacked since his departure.

If Arsenal are not forced to pay an exorbitant fee for the striker's services, he would provide good support to Robin van Persie and an even better option off the bench if he is not used in tandem with the Dutchman.

Olivier Giroud

Incredibly, French minnows Montpelier are leading Ligue 1, ahead of oil-rich Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference with nine matches still to play.

The main reason why La Paillade have been over-performing is their striking sensation Olivier Giroud, who leads his team in assists and leads all of the league in goals with 17.

Arsenal have long been mentioned as a possible destination for the striker due to Arsene Wenger's notorious affinity for French players and the Gunners' need to add a quality strike partner to take some of the pressure off of Robin van Persie.

If Giroud wants to make the move to a bigger club this summer, Arsenal would likely be at the top of the queue.

Daniel Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge has grown dissatisfied with his role at Chelsea, requesting a move from the wing to his native striker position due to his great play this season for the Blues.

Arsenal would be able to afford the prodigious talent an opportunity to showcase his skills next to one of the best strikers in the world. Sturridge is one of the best young talents in England, and Arsene Wenger would be able to coach him to his full potential like almost no other coach.

If the presence of £50 million man Fernando Torres forces whoever Chelsea's manager-for-the-week may be to keep Sturridge out wide, the Englishman would be well-served to take his talents elsewhere.

Eden Hazard

Like it or not, this rumor will just not go away. Eden Hazard, the best young player in the world, has been linked to Arsenal ever since he burst onto the world football scene.

He has a connection to Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen through both country and family (the two are cousins), and the young Belgian has already stated that he would prefer to move to the Premier League this summer.

Hazard would be able to do fantastic work with the ball if he got the opportunity to team up with Robin van Persie, setting up the Dutchman, who would be able to use his fantastic movement to get into threatening goal-scoring positions.

If Arsenal can get Hazard, which remains unlikely due to the massive transfer fee he will command, the Gunners will have one of, if not the most potent attack in the Premier League.

Theo Walcott

Okay, so this isn't technically a transfer, but it is very likely that Arsenal fans could see Theo Walcott and van Persie together in the middle next season.

After a very inconsistent period, Walcott has seen his form dramatically improve in recent weeks, with his brace against Tottenham signalling the arrival of a new, improved, hard-working version of the Englishman.

It has always been his rawness and inconsistency that have kept Walcott from convincing Arsene Wenger that he should be deployed in his preferred central role, but if he can keep up his improvement in work rate and technique, he just may get his wish next season. 

Lukas Podolski

This is by far the most logical and probable option that Arsenal will choose to address their striker problem during the summer.

Reports of a £10.9 million deal have been swirling for weeks, and although Arsene Wenger did deny that a deal is already done, he responded, simply, "Yes."

Lukas Podolski would be the perfect attacking signing for Arsenal this summer. Not only can he play on the wing, but his creativity and finishing skill as a striker make him the perfect supporter to take some of the burden off of Robin van Persie's shoulders.

Sign him, up Arsene. He might just be the one player who can take Arsenal over the top next season.

Follow @charliemelman