How Danny Welbeck's move to Arsenal could benefit England
Article by Neil LeverettFollow e-Arsenal on Twitter!
Arsenal's deadline day move for Danny Welbeck could be one of the best pieces of business the Gunners have done since the capture of Nicolas Anelka from Paris Saint Germain in 1997 for the significantly lesser fee of £500,000 for a relatively unknown player. It is a move that could not only benefit Arsene Wenger's men but in the long-term it could be very much beneficial to England.
As previously documented, Welbeck's move - at least at club level - has many perched firmly on the fence. However his showing versus Switzerland in Basel on Monday night suggests that if Welbeck progresses well for his new employers, his exploits for the national team could be rich pickings indeed. In the absence of the injured Daniel Sturridge, Welbeck deputized in an out-and-out forward role in a new England system alongside Wayne Rooney, with Raheem Sterling behind in the 'hole'.
Welbeck's well executed brace has pundits and fans alike dreaming of a new era for the Three Lions, with Welbeck and Sterling relative seedlings at 23 and 19 respectively. What Rooney has lost in pace in recent years Danny Welbeck is more than capable of compensating for and as a pacier alternative to Sturridge, England's front three spearhead has pace, strength and guile and abundance.
If we look at the bigger picture - and without getting too carried away in hyberbole - Arsenal may have finally found their lethal finisher they have failed to replace since the departure of Robin Van Persie but moreover, Wenger's men have lacked real pace in a forward role since the heady days of Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka. In Welbeck, Arsenal may have found their new goalscorer in the most unlikely of sources. If the Gunners can find their confidence forward, it may well hold the key to the future of England going forward after period of seemingly never-ending foreign influx of players. The reason for the absence of English faces is cleary linked to the rise of the Premier League.
If we examine the strikeforce of the top four or five clubs in recent years, there is a clear dearth of English centreforwards. Tevez, Suarez, Balotelli, Dzeko, Aguero, Giroud, Van Persie, Henry, Costa, Berbatov,Torres and now Falcao; the list goes on. All international forwards. Only Manchester United break up the near blanket dominance on non-English strikers in the self appointed 'biggest league in the world', with Rooney and the now erstwhile Welbeck with Sturridge the latest and only other potent English striker to breakthrough the muddy waters of the homegrown top-flight development pool.
That is in stark contrast to the nineties and early noughties with the likes of Smith, Wright, Campell, Ferdinand and Owen. There needs to be a greater presence of English goalscorers in the Premier League in the modern era. That is where Welbecks's - and indeed Arsenal's - responsibility lies. In bringing through a young hungry attacker in his correct position, England may have a new marksmen on their hands.
For England, Welbeck has now reached 10 goals in 28 appearances, often from a wide position. His Premier League stats are a similar indication of his role as a reserve striker but more often a wide player, having allotted 26 league goals in six campaigns. His career record is 9 in a season during the 2011/12 and 2013/14 terms. If played in a more suited lone striker role with the talents around him at Arsenal, Welbeck could find his niche with arguably his best years ahead of him.
England's issue in recent years has been their perfromances at major tournaments and often a lack of goals. The pressure is clear for all to see; This summer the buck stopped with Rooney until his inaugural World Cup goal versus Uruguay. More recently the pressure has been weighted upon the shoulders of Daniel Sturridge. However will the potential emergence of Welbeck as a potent danger man domestically, may allow his national form to blossom and ease the ever-present pressure on England for goals.
If Welbeck does hit his straps for his new North London club it could be lucrative for Roy Hodgson's men also. Not since the days of Shearer and Sheringham have England boasted a lethal strikeforce which would worry international defences. But in the months to come, that could be about to change.
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