Adebayor talks underway!

Reports today have the club in talks with Arsenal over temperamental Togan striker Emmanuel Adebayor. He's obviously a good player, despite what the odd sour Arsenal fan might tell you, his goal record speaks for itself. I'm not sure he's the most obvious target, us having just signed Roque Santa Cruz, but he'd no doubt improve our already strong attacking options.

He's always seemed a player who splits the Arsenal support, and i can see why. He has all the attributes needed to be one of the best strikers around; he's strong, quick, good in the air and with the ball at his feet and can finish. During 2007/08 he looked immense, thirty goals as Arsenal looked well on course for title and Champions League glory before blowing both. This last year, however, he's looked unbothered, lethargic, and having talked of a possible departure, certain elements of the Arsenal support have turned on him. He still averaged better than a goal every other start, it must be added.

What we pay for him, assuming the player's interested, of course, is largely irrelevant, but i'd hope it wouldn't be something absurd. This is a lad who was being linked with £30m-£35m moves away this time last year, so he's not going to come cheap, but anything over £20m and i'd be having my doubts. I think that price would be a good deal for the selling club, who i believe paid £3m for him, but their fans seem to point out he's worth a huge fee whilst assuring us that he's bobbins, they should make their minds up.

There's no doubt that we needed options upfront, a targetman at least. We did quite well in an attacking sense last season, over eighty goals, but more of a cumulative effort than the forwards themselves doing too great, Robinho being the only one to threaten double figures. We still lacked a physicality upfront, an aerial presence, especially away from home. We need strikers who can both lead the line and score goals, and more than one in each position, and he's someone who definitely can. Adebayor, Santa Cruz, Tevez, Robinho & Bellamy would be a terrific set of strikers to choose from. Plus there's still the other half-dozen numpties we've yet to get rid of!