Who is the Arsenal target Takuma Asano?

Just whilst Manchester United are signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Chelsea are getting Michy Batshuayi, all Arsenal have to show for in the transfer department is simply rumour after transfer rumour. Arsenal fans still have absolutely no idea which striker is most likely to sign with the Gunners, with many trails beginning to go cold and new rumours opening up everyday.

Arsenal had of course been linked with Morata for a fair while, although that deal seems to have gone down the same path as Higuain and Benzema, who have both been big names linked with Arsenal for long periods of time, before deals never materialised. Vardy of course was another name who was probably the closest that we have had come to in our search for a striker, but now we are onto our latest rumour in the transfer mill, in the form of Japanese star Takuma Asano.

Who is Takuma Asano you ask? Good question because I hadn’t heard of him either before today’s reports by Sky Sports and the Daily Mail. Arsenal are supposedly closing in on a deal for the 21 year old striker, who currently plays in his homeland for Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Asano is a full Japanese international, having made four appearances and such games have probably been on the biggest stage of his career so far. At 21, he’s made 75 appearances for his club, scoring 20 goals which gives off a lot of mixed considerations in my opinion.

On one hand you think that 20 goals at 21 years old isn’t too bad, but then again he is playing in an arguably poor division and if he is truly ‘hitting the heights’ as a promising wonderkid, as Wenger seems to believe, then I would have expected some real kind of impressive tally and talent coming from the youngster. Not too much is known about his style of play, but given the stage that he is at in his professional career and the club that he plays for, I’d imagine that Wenger is eyeing up this guy on the cheap. In fact I’d expect Asano to be valued at probably only around £5 million, which is of course much cheaper than most of the other strikers that we are being linked with. That of course however is because all of the other strikers we are linked with are most definitely better than Asano, and if Arsenal were to sign this Japanese star, he must be a long term investment rather than having the weight on his shoulders as a regular in Arsenal’s first team. Asano may have real potential and I wouldn’t knock the signing at all, however it’s vital that if Wenger does want to develop this youngster at Arsenal, then he also signs that big name player that we so desperately need up front.

If Arsenal don’t secure a deal for this guy, then I guess that his name will probably join the endless speculation that also surrounds Lacazette and Gabriel Barbosa. Will Asano become a Gunner?

By AH