Serie A star guarantees Arsenal goals, but no big-game poise

For many Arsenal fans, swapping current line-leader Olivier Giroud for Argentine star Gonzalo Higuain would be a no-brainer.

According to Italian media, such a move is a very real possibility as Arsene Wenger considers throwing his French compatriot into a deal for the want-away Napoli man.

Higuain has a release clause of €94m, but the Gunners think they can avoid forking out that much by offering Giroud as a makeweight.

The current Arsenal goal ace is nothing if not divisive in north London, despite relatively consistent returns in the Premier League during his four seasons.

57 goals in 135 appearances isn’t a horrific record. But a failure to reach the vaunted 20-goal mark in a top-flight season has many wondering whether the former Montpellier man has enough quality to spearhead a title charge.

Considering Higuain just clocked a 36-goal Serie A haul for Napoli, the chance to lure the 28-year-old to the Emirates in Giroud’s place is likely to excite plenty of supporters.

Enthusiasm should perhaps be tempered slightly though, with the Albiceleste frontman gaining a reputation for bottling big moments in important matches.

In three consecutive finals with Argentina, Higuain has fluffed the chance to net a telling goal for his country.

Misses that would have given his side the lead in the 2014 World Cup final and both the Copa America showpieces that followed have seen the striker come in for plenty of online criticism. The South Americans went on to lose all three of those games.

Ladies and gentleman i present you, Gonzalo Higuain
(Video Credits: @JuanGrimaldo791 )pic.twitter.com/x1GLZ3omvd

— Troll Football Media (@Troll__Footbal) June 27, 2016

Despite the attractive goal tallies and lofty transfer fees, those misses serve as a warning for Arsenal fans that Higuain may not be the big-game player they crave to take them to a long-awaited league title.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.