Scouting Ciprian Marica: Is a 27-Year-Old Free Transfer What Arsenal Need?

Arsenal's chase for Liverpool's Luis Suarez continues to hog the headlines. The latest from the BBC is that PFA chief Gordon Taylor has confirmed Suarez's contract does not oblige Liverpool to sell if they receive an offer over £40 million.

However, below the radar, Arsenal have found themselves linked with another potential striker signing: Romanian forward Ciprian Marica.

Simon Jones of The Daily Mail quotes his agent Giovani Becali as saying:

"

He is close to Arsenal, we’ll see this week. Marica is a very good striker, a Romanian national player who has great experience.

"

Listening to Becali, Marica sounds like a decent player. However, it's hard to take the agent's words at face value. Marica is his client, and Becali is bound to talk him up.

What's certain is that Marica has an extensive and impressive international record. He has amassed 61 Romania caps, scoring 21 goals in the process. A record of a goal every three games at international level is not to be sniffed at. He has even been handed the national award of a "Meritual Sportiv" to recognise his achievements.

However, Marica's club career has been decidedly less impressive. His best form was produced in a three year spell at Shakhtar Donetsk. Since then, he has gone on to be a squad player at Vfb Stuttgart and Schalke 04. 

Marica is 27: his best years as a forward are behind him. He is not an exciting prospect; he is an ageing journeyman.

The most attractive thing about Marica is his price: his contract with Schalke has expired, and he is available on a Bosman free.

Arsene Wenger loves a bargain. However, even the parsimonious Frenchman must recognise that Arsenal can afford to aim their sights higher than Marica.

Signing Marica would neither plug the yawning gaps in Arsenal's squad nor appease a disgruntled fanbase.

This is a summer transfer window in which Arsenal need to send a message. The only message this signing would send is that Arsenal's ambitions remain hugely conservative.

Some Arsenal supporters may harbour doubts about signing Luis Suarez, but there can be counter to the argument that his acquisition would represent a radical and resounding statement of intent.

If Marica joins Arsenal, he is surely destined to become just another Park Chu-Young: an inexplicable signing who fades in to obscurity shortly after signing.

That's not what Arsenal need. They need a signing to give them hope. They need a player who can help transform them from also-rans to title-challengers.

Ciprian Marica may well be, as his agent claims, a "very good striker." However, he is not the striker Arsenal need.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here.