Marouane Chamakh: What Arsenal Supporters Should Expect from Their New Striker

When Marouane Chamakh takes the pitch for Arsenal in August, don't expect him to be the savior of the club, the goal-scoring machine who will carry the Gunners to the top of the league for the first time since 2004.

Nonetheless, Arsenal supporters have reason to celebrate the Moroccan striker's long-anticipated London move, as both player and team should thrive in their new partnership.

The 26-year-old, who stands at just under 6'2", will bloom under Arsene Wenger's exciting offensive regime, while Arsenal will add a consistent, powerful aerial weapon with excellent ball skills and a natural aptitude for fast-paced, tactical play.

Despite concerns about his less than stellar goal-scoring record for Ligue 1 side FC Girdondins de Bordeaux, Chamakh should step into a starring role in the forward rotation at Arsenal, where I predict he will tally career highs in assists and goals in his first Premier League season.

Chamakh at FCGB

Many have posited Chamakh's age and underwhelming statistical output at Bordeaux as strikes against him. After all, he is 26 years old but has never scored more than 13 league goals.

Such overly simplistic standards, however, fail to take into account two key factors.

The first is that Bordeaux are a defense-first club that have prided themselves for several years on holding opposing clubs to below a goal-per-game average.

As a result, while they have enjoyed significant success—in 2009 going as far as wresting the league title away from Lyon for the first time in eight seasons—they have rarely averaged over 1.5 goals per game. Indeed, only once in the last 10 years have they averaged two goals per game at home in the Stade Chaban Delmas.

Thus, while Chamakh has only scored 55 goals in 227 Ligue 1 matches (for a career strike ratio of less than .25), relative to his former club's total goal-scoring output, he has been extremely productive. In 2008-09, statistically his best season, Chamakh scored 20 percent of his team's 64 goals. For comparison's sake, in 2008-09, Robin van Persie accounted for 16 percent of Arsenal's 68 league goals.

The second important factor to consider is Chamakh's pedigree—namely his experience playing in front of world-class playmaker Yoann Gourcuff for the last two seasons, as well as his early mentorship under legendary Portuguese striker Pauleta.

Chamakh is already 26 years old—only five months younger than van Persie—which has prompted questions in some areas as to why, if he has so much potential, did he not make his Premiership move at a younger age?

In his time in France, Chamakh has not been languishing in obscurity. He has learned from the best and played with the best. His scoring record may not set the world on fire, but the oversized Bordeaux contract that for so long kept top Italian and English clubs from attempting a transfer is the greatest testament to his true value.

Chamakh is a polished, experienced veteran just entering his prime. His timely career move from defensive Bordeaux to offensive Arsenal will prove one of Wenger's best signings in recent memory.

Chamakh's Fit at the Emirates?

The most important quality in Chamakh's personal arsenal is his dominating presence in the air. Much has been said of the danger he poses on set pieces and crosses, as well as the remarkable physical strength he possesses.

Despite his lean frame, not only is Chamakh strong, but he seems to relish physical confrontation inside the box—a tendency that will work to his benefit against bruising Premiership defenses (here is a good indication of his determination and resourcefulness in front of goal).

Chamakh definitely brings his all to every fixture. Le Prof himself, when the signing became official on May 21, called the young Moroccan "a fighter" and a "team player." Many Arsenal supporters are already following their Nestorian manager's lead by lauding the striker for his team-first attitude and fiery on-field personality.

Following a season in which Arsenal saw a horrendous succession of injuries befall many of their top offensive players, Chamakh's remarkable durability—he has never appeared in fewer than 32 league matches in the last three seasons—will save Wenger that many more sleepless nights.

It might not get as much attention as his presence inside the 18-yard box and his pugilistic attitude on the pitch, but Chamakh possesses excellent ball skills and a good head for quick-passing play, both of which will ease his integration into Wenger's system.

In his two years playing with Gourcuff, Chamakh demonstrated proficiency in his short-passing game (check out the Arsenal-esque exchange here), as well as a knack for assuming the pivot position in give-and-go plays. The experienced Moroccan striker also proved his impressive football intelligence through his Gunner-like ability to float between different positions at the top of the attacking line.

It's impossible to transition seamlessly from one club to another with only a couple months of offseason fixtures in which to learn the system, but given his background and his surprising natural abilities, Chamakh should quickly become a top striking option.

Far more polished and with a much better understanding of his position, Wenger's new signing is clearly an upgrade over Nicklas Bendtner, though the manager must strike a delicate balance in deploying the two. The young Dane showed tremendous improvement over the last third of the 2009-10 season, and Chamakh must be introduced into the system in a way that neither stifles nor discourages Bendtner's progress.

Chamakh 2010-2011: A Prediction

Depending on his playing time, No. 29 should surpass his career records in both goals and assists. Fifteen goals and seven or eight assists would not be surprising, though Chamakh certainly has the potential to make an even greater contribution.

Chamakh will not struggle to adjust to Arsenal's style of play. He weaves himself into various attacking positions, causing matchup problems and making himself a constant threat. He plays with his head up and, unlike many lone strikers, enjoys creating opportunities for others as much as he enjoys finishing his own.

Not only will Chamakh fit in at Arsenal, but his physicality will add a key dimension to the Gunners' attack that has largely been missing since the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor. Chamakh has excellent positioning, knows how to use his body, and possesses a combination of strength and agility that will place him among the Premiership's best heading strikers.

He will never be a 30 goal-scorer.

Much like Arsenal's mercurial young target man, Bendtner, Chamakh does not possess the pace, the moves, and the bag of tricks to beat Premiership defenders one-on-one, nor to create solo scoring opportunities with his back to the goal.

Arsenal do not need a potential 30 goal-scorer, however, as much as they need a consistent, driven striker who will work well in their system and return the physical edge to their attack that was so obviously absent in 2009-10.