Arsenal are going extremely well in the Premier League of late and it’s safe to say that Gunners supporters are growing in confidence, with many well and truly believing that this season could be their time to shine.
They currently sit joint top at the summit of the division and despite failing to really stamp out the Swansea threat last weekend, they came away from the game with a 3-2 victory – a sign that, despite not playing their best, they’re still able to get a result.
A winning team is always a unit that will attract quality players and there is one rumour that just won’t go away.
The man that has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium is Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi, who is having an absolutely torrid time of it over in Italy at the moment.
He’s been blighted by controversy since confronting the famous Inter Ultras in his autobiography and even vice president Javier Zanetti isn’t happy with his conduct.
So despite signing a new bumper deal earlier this month, he could end up moving on.
He’s got to leave Italy
Our first, and slightly obvious, reason is that his future in Italy, at least with Inter, looks completely ruined.
He’s confronted Inter’s Ultras over a shirt he threw into the crowd, criticised people in his autobiography and now, the fans are cheering his penalty misses. This isn’t the environment to really enjoy your football, let alone one to bring your wife and children to every weekend.
He hasn’t helped himself in the slightest but Arsenal should continue their pursuit quite simply because he needs to get out of the San Siro before things really turn sour.
His goalscoring record is absolutely fantastic
Whilst Arsenal are doing well in the league, they’re far from running away with it and a player like Icardi would definitely add goals to their ranks.
It’s fantastic to see Theo Walcott back in-form but he’s not the man who is going to get 25 goals to lead the Gunners to the title.
In the 2014/15 season, Icardi notched over 28 goals for Inter, coupled with the 500 he scored for his youth outfit Vecindario in the Canary Islands.
The goals are there and he’d bring them to England for sure.
His attitude (normally) is solid
This might make some chuckle, but barring this feud with the Inter faithful, his record and attitude on the pitch is completely unblemished when we’re talking just football.
He’s a man that will run and run… and then run just a little bit more. His willingness to press and his ability to do that over 90 minutes makes him a perfect candidate to join the tough climate of the Premier League.
Even through the controversy, he’s scoring goals
Whether you agree with what has gone on out in Italy or not, you can’t criticise Icardi for his work on the pitch, whatever has happened off it.
He’s Inter’s top goalscorer this season with six goals from six games, including a brace in the 2-0 win over Pescara.
He also grabbed an equaliser and an assist in the huge clash with rivals Juventus earlier this season, which was Inter’s first win over their bitter opponents since November 2012. It was a quality performance and if ever there was a ‘come-and-get-me’ plea, this was it.
He’s a leader
Football is a game where it’s easy for people to forget the good and only concentrate on the bad. But many are forgetting that Icardi is Inter Milan’s captain, so whichever way you look at it, he’s their leader and, in the past, he’s led well.
Whilst his team currently sit 11th in Serie A, he is the man to turn things around, starting from the front.
But if Milan fans continue to reject his captaincy and even presence, Arsenal would be acquiring not only a fantastic striker but a real leader from the front too. Win-win.
