12 goals and 13 assists this season: Should Arsenal splash £30m on Paraguayan attacker?

According to Fox Deportes USA, Arsenal have to come up with a bid of at least £30 million to have any chance of landing Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron. The Paraguayan international has been on the Gunners’ radar for some time and it is believed that they were planning to launch a £11 million bid in January.

However, Atlanta United club president Darren Eales has clarified that Almiron will not be considered for sale under £30m. But, should the Gunners insist on going after the Paraguayan forward regardless of his price-tag?

Miguel Almiron – Player profile and attributes

Miguel Almiron rose to prominence after his move to MLS side Atlanta United. But beforehand, he was playing at CA Lanus, in the Argentinian top flight. Although his scoring record with Lanus might not be as impressive, his excellent work-ethic in the final third earned him a £6.75m move to Atlanta earlier last year.

And he has been firing on all cylinders ever since, plundering nine goals and eight assists during his debut campaign while he has already netted 12 goals and provided 13 assists in this ongoing season. His tremendous form in front of goal has fired Atlanta United to the top of MLS east conference table.

Interestingly, Almiron is not considered an out and out striker who would lead his team by scoring a plethora of goals on a consistent basis. On the contrary, he is more of a playmaker, who, if given enough space and freedom, can spark things up in the final third. As a result, he mostly operates as the playmaker for Atlanta with Josef Martinez leading the attack.

While it is clearly evident that passing and creating chances are his definite strengths, he also excels at dribbling, which helps him skip through opposing defenders in the final third. However, he certainly needs to improve on his aerial prowess which might become an issue in case he makes a move to these shores.

Miguel Almiron to Arsenal: Does it make sense?

The acquisition of someone like Miguel Almiron will be an interesting transfer for Arsenal. The Gunners already boast the services of lethal strikers in the shape of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette and the addition of another seems a little redundant.

At the same time, however, his presence in the team will surely add further depth to Arsenal’s attacking department and given the fact that he mainly operates as a playmaker or a false-nine, he can prove to be a very useful player at Unai Emery’s disposal.

However, splurging a fee of £30 million for a player, who has only managed to impress in the MLS till now, seems a bit far-fetched and looks like a huge gamble Arsenal just can’t afford right now.

Stats Courtesy: Wikipedia