Why on Earth should Arsenal sign Alexandre Pato?

Alexandre Pato – The extraordinary talent

Arsenal, according to the report from Metro, want Brazil striker Alexandre Pato to bolster their attack in January.

While the Brazilian’s name had been on the papers in the Summer window as well, its no surprising to see his name pop up again before the January window opens.

Arsenal’s surprising start to the season despite the opening day defeat to Aston Villas has been spearheaded by the in-form Aaron Ramsey and his midfield partner Mesut Ozil, but the unsung hero Olivier Giroud has played an equal part.

The French International has been starting games week in week out for the Gunners scoring 5 goals and assisting another 4 in the league. The frequency of the games for the French International has increased his fatigue levels, a testament to which was his performance against Manchester United.

Nicklas Bendtner and an injury prone youngster Yaya Sanogo is the only available replacements for Giroud which in itself is an alarming signal for Wenger to pursue for another decent striker.

When the name Pato was linked with Arsenal, I found it surprising to see quite a number of articles talking in favour of the Brazilian’s move to the Emirates. So, am I missing out on something here? Yes the Brazilian would be an upgrade for Nicklas Bendtner, but is he worth the gamble?

The 24-year-old moved to Corinthians at the start of this season to regain some fitness after having an injury plagued 6 year stint at AC Milan. However, his Corinthians career hasn’t started according to plans. He scored in his debut for the Brazilian club, but since then goals have been hard to come. While his injuries have reduced a bit, his goals have certainly dried up. 9 goals from 27 games in the Brazil league,from a forward who once terrorized tough tackling Italian defenders is a poor conversion rate.

Secondly playing at Corinthians means that, he would we closely followed by National team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and if a world cup in his homeland can’t motivate Pato then one can imagine his credentials to play in the world’s most toughest league and as a backup for Giroud.

A report from Metro has revealed that Pato has already had a row with his Corinthians manager Tite who has branded him as a ‘spoilt Child’ and now club director Roberto de Andrade admits the striker could be sold in the new year.

‘We know there is interest in Pato, and we don’t rule out selling him in the winter transfer market,’ said De Andrade.

So would Wenger need to take the gamble of bringing in a player who could potentially spoil the dressing room atmosphere and more over add to Arsenal’s treatment room facilities which is already serving Abou Diaby and Oxlade-Chamberlain including the other frequent visitors like Thomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott.

The Gunners are linked with the likes of El Shaarawy and Karim Benzema who would any day prove to be a better option than the injury prone Brazilian.