Gonzalo Higuain Deal Makes Luis Suarez More Vital Than Ever for Arsenal

At this time, a little less than two months ago, Arsenal seemed on the precipice of solving their desperate need for a top scoring option.

The club had piecemealed together a surprisingly solid scoring outfit in 2012-13 with an all-around team effort, but the shadow of Robin van Persie loomed large. Their strategy from a year ago was unsustainable over the long term. Arsenal needed a striker. More specifically, they needed a damn good striker.

Their man? Then-Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.

John Percy of The Telegraph reported in June that Higuain and Arsenal had come to personal terms on a £130,000 weekly fee, seemingly putting to bed the oft-rumored courtship. At a £22 million fee, the 25-year-old Argentine national represented a major step in the right direction for Arsenal—and a major change in stance for Arsene Wenger.

Higuain had scored 16 goals in 19 starts for the La Liga giants last season. Though an impressive total, he was considered something of a second-class citizen on a club that already fielded one of the world's two best players in Cristiano Ronaldo. Arsenal was to be his opportunity to truly become one of the world's best.

And then...nothing.

Suddenly, after seemingly locking up one of the summer's first major moves, the trickle of negotiations stopped. There were rumors throughout this time that a deal was on the precipice of being completed, but then it happened. The it to which I am referring is Napoli swooping in with a fee of £34.5 million to shock many who pegged Higuain for a bid at the Emirates.

Some saw the difference between the initial £22 million fee and the £34.5 million final price and made their own conclusions. Was this just another case of Arsenal getting priced out?

Apparently not.

David Ornstein of BBC Sport shed some interesting light on the situation this week. It seems it was not a pricing issue that sent Arsenal running to the foothills. In fact, Wenger had never made a formal offer—instead choosing to make a push for disgruntled Liverpool star Luis Suarez.

The Suarez-to-Arsenal rumblings aren't exactly new. The two sides have been linked at the hip over recent weeks, with Wenger seemingly becoming fixated on landing the controversial striker. Arsenal's biggest move in this fiasco was to make a £40 million bid, one that unlocked an ambiguous clause in Suarez's contract that, well, pretty much no one knows what the hell it means.

Supposedly, it means Arsenal have a better chance at landing him.

All right. So Arsenal traded their opportunity at Higuain to land Suarez. This is an upgrade. Everyone wins, right? 

Again, apparently not.

Liverpool have been steadfast in their stance that Suarez isn't for sale. They've swatted away Arsenal bids every step of the way, and the situation has gotten increasingly tense as we barrel toward the beginning of the upcoming season. In fact, Liverpool principal owner John W. Henry made it abundantly clear that the last place Suarez would end up is Emirates, per Andy Hunter of The Guardian. 

"I'm unequivocal that we won't sell to Arsenal, whatever the bid is," Henry said. "I have not said it to Stan [Kroenke, Arsenal's majority shareholder] but I had a personal conversation with others at Arsenal and told him [Gazidis] we would not sell to Arsenal."

So what happens next? Did Arsenal shoot themselves in the foot by eschewing the sure thing for a pipe dream? Quite possibly. But the reality of the Higuain situation means Wenger absolutely must double-down on his efforts to land Suarez.

In a way, Arsenal's situation may be the most glaring representation of one of the most underrated storylines of the transfer window—the Premier League's inactivity. Or, rather, the clubs inside Premier League's hesitance to pull the trigger on a big move. 

Wenger has taken plenty of hits—many understandable—for his laissez-faire attitude toward improving the club this summer. Arsenal's only acquisition this summer has been Yaya Sanogo, who cost all of about free.99. You can understand where folks might be a little upset.

But look at the landscape elsewhere. Manchester City have gone their usual crazy selves, bringing in Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Stevan Jovetic and Carlos Tevez. Elsewhere, the waters have been shockingly quiet. David Moyes is yet to make his first big splash as Manchester United skipper. Chelsea have spent a bit, but nowhere near the rumored £100 million put on the table when Jose Mourinho came back.

There have been an unquestionably high level of speculation. The action just hasn't been there. And this has all happened while rest of the world's top clubs engage in a talent arms race that would make 1980 Russia jealous. Neymar is at Camp Nou. Edinson Cavani will score goals in Paris. Gareth Bale might be moving away from Premier League to land in Madrid. 

All of this could be used for justification from the Arsenal board to stay silent through the summer. If no one else (besides City) is spending money, why should the Gunners? 

Well, because going against the grain has always been a staple of this club. Wenger has eschewed massive purchases throughout his career. He's kept Arsenal competitive for Champions League berths by cultivating young talent and despite an at times nonexistent budget from his board. It's sometimes said that Arsenal are a feeder system for other clubs, that they are more happy looking at their yearly financial bounty than competing for championships.

Whether fair or not, the board has given Wenger autonomy this summer. New media deals opened up a £70 million kitty for the Arsenal manager to spend this summer. The club's highest wage earner, Andrey Arshavin, is now with Zenit Saint Petersburg. For once, the money is available and it's prevalent.

If it doesn't get spent, the blood is on Wenger's hands. Assuming the veracity of Ornstein's report—and I do, considering it's rather consistent with how the whole strange situation played out—Wenger's decision to pursue Suarez over wrapping up a Higuain deal could leave the fans at Emirates without firepower on the attack for the second straight season.

We can go into whether Higuain would have been the better choice regardless. He has no history of biting opposing players, no blatantly racist tendencies and has shown no hatred of the English media. 

But hindsight in criticizing the decision matters not. Wenger made his choice to push for Suarez. He wants to use this transfer kitty on one of the most talented strikers in the world.

No matter what Henry says, every player has a price. It's time for Wenger to request the necessary funds from the board, pay his bounty and make the summer splash his club is finally able to handle. If Liverpool truly balks, well, for once Wenger will have to look long and hard in the mirror if his team underperforms. 

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter: