Ray Parlour is urging Arsene Wenger to sign England striker Jermain Defoe, from arch rivals Tottenham.
In an exclusive interview with Talksport, the ex-Arsenal midfielder suggested that Defoe could be the answer to Arsenal’s problems.
There has been a great amount of speculation linking Defoe with Arsenal in recent weeks, and The Romford Pele believes The Gunners should go all out and sign the 28-year old forward from N17.
“They do need a striker. Marouane Chamakh found it difficult (last season). He did well in the early parts of the season but went off the boil a bit.”
“They should get someone who’s a little bit different, who can score a goal, like an Ian Wright. Jermain Defoe would be a good signing for me. Tottenham fans won’t like it but that’s how it goes these days. I was there when Sol Campbell signed and he was a great player for Arsenal.”
Parlour also went on to reveal that he believes Arsenal will not escape their trophy drought, if Arsene Wenger doesn’t add to his squad this summer.
“What he (Wenger) was trying to say is that when his best side is out, they’ve got a chance. The problem he’s got is in-depth.
“When his major players get injured, there is not enough quality behind who can come in and do a job. When I was playing, when vital players got injured like Dennis Bergkamp, we still had players who could come in and do a good job. That’s the difference now.
“If Arsenal get their top side out they are a very good side, there’s no doubting that. But if a couple of them get injured, have they got enough back-up? Players like Bendtner and Denilson, can they come in and do a sound job? Last season they had their chances but I don’t think they did.
“That’s what he’s got to look at. He’s got to look at trying to build a squad that, if he does have some suspensions or injuries which you don’t expect, then you can deal with it.”
I agree when he says that we need to strengthen our side. I’m certain no Arsenal fan could deny that. But could Jermain Defoe really be the player to help us end all of our problems? I’m not too sure.
If we were to sign him, I feel it would be a particularly risky deal, with a potential to ultimately end in disaster seeing him crash and burn, just like Robbie Keane did when he accepted the challenge and he signed for Liverpool.
It would be a huge step-up for Defoe, and I’m not too confident on whether he would be able to fulfill our expectations.
Admittedly, he has done well for Spurs, Portsmouth and West Ham during his career, but he has never really been given the chance to perform at the highest level. Perhaps a clear sign that everyone, including himself, knows the limit of his own ability.
However, to be fair to him he has never been given a fair chance at the highest level as he has only experienced a handful of games in the Champions League – most of which he was forced to sit on the bench.
He was only given a chance when Peter Crouch went ‘physco‘ in Madrid. Alternatively, his international career isn’t exactly impressive either, being given limited opportunities throughout his career for the England national team.
Is Parlour talking sense, or do we need a better, more proven and experienced striker to come in this summer?
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