Arsenal: Why Arsene Wenger Should Target Swansea City's Michu

According to The Express, Arsenal and Liverpool are both targeting Swansea City’s Spanish forward, Michu.

Michu insists he is not preparing to agitate for a move, telling the newspaper:

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I'm not thinking about that right now. I'm very happy at Swansea. It's a small club, but we're in Europe and have already won a trophy, the first in the club's history.

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However, with the January transfer window just a couple of months away, Michu’s head could well be turned.

He has just won his first cap for the Spanish national team, and with a World Cup on the horizon, he may come to feel that a move to a Champions League club could increase his chances of being on the plane to Brazil next summer.

In that respect, Arsenal have the edge over Liverpool.

Michu would be a superb signing for Arsenal.

The Gunners badly need a centre-forward to supplement Olivier Giroud. Yaya Sanogo has shown himself to be raw and injury prone, while Nicklas Bendtner is only under consideration due to desperation.

Michu is a prolific forward.

In his debut Premier League season he scored 18 times in 35 appearances.

This season he has only scored two Premier League goals, but his shooting accuracy has still been impressive. According to Squawka, 56 percent of his efforts on goal have hit the target. That stat compares favourably with Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud, who has an average shot accuracy of just 42 percent.

What’s more, Michu has supplemented his tally with three goals in Swansea’s first foray into the Europa League.

However, Michu is not just a goalscorer.

He can play both as a target man and a support striker. Before Arsenal and Swansea City met earlier this season, Arsene Wenger paid Michu the ultimate compliment of comparing him to Dutch genius Dennis Bergkamp.

Wenger told The Daily Mail:

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I see him like a little bit, position-wise, like a Bergkamp, more than an up-front striker. 

Michu’s the kind of striker who is a midfielder as well. He can play both positions, that's why they are 4-4-1-1 or you can call that a 4-4-2 when Wilfried Bony plays.

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Michu is a creator as well as a finisher. According to Squawka, he has created 16 goalscoring opportunities already. To put that in perspective, the much-heralded Mesut Ozil has manufactured 11.

If Arsenal acquired Michu, he would provide reliable back-up for Giroud as well as having the capacity to play in any one of the three advanced midfield positions behind the Frenchman. He has the power to lead the line and the technique to fit into the Gunners’ cosmopolitan style. 

Swansea’s new Spanish international would be a fantastic signing that could help catapult Arsenal towards the title.