Why Arsenal have every right to be delighted with Alex Iwobi deal

COMMENT: Gunners might have found the answer to their striking problems

(2016 Getty Images)

The bi-annual clamour for Arsenal to invest in their playing staff will rumble into ear-splitting life as soon as the transfer window opens now that Arsene Wenger’s team - barring a complete Leicester collapse and a Spurs wobble - will finish the season potless.

Everyone from the armchair Twitterati to the Emirates regulars will be screaming for another “world-class” striker after Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud have failed to light up the season as Arsenal had hoped at the season’s dawn. The England forward has five League goals, the Frenchman 12; that’s five fewer between them than Harry Kane up the road and half as many as Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez combined.

But “world-class” strikers don’t drop from the trees as Jose Mourinho would agree - he would have liked to have started this season less reliant on an injury-prone and anger-prone Diego Costa but the options weren’t out there - even for those with healthy cash reserves.

So, the fact that Arsenal are close to finalising a new deal with their shooting star Alex Iwobi is a boon for the Gooners. The 19-year-old is on the verge of signing a contract with the club that will run up to 2021 and bumps his salary up to £30,000 per week. It is doubtful the screamers will be placated - they won’t be happy unless £30-£50m is splashed (Angel Di Maria, Christian Benteke anyone?) - but Iwobi has real promise as the standing ovation he was afforded at the Emirates at the weekend shows.

According to Arsenal, the academy product was in line for a new deal even before his impressive recent displays at Barcelona, against Everton and at home to Watford at the weekend. He particularly caught the eye towards the end of last season when he scored nine times in the last nine Under-21s’ games. The goal rush followed his move from the wing to centre of attack, a transition made by another non-too-shabby Arsenal striker of yesteryear.

Of course, it’s far, far too premature for Thierry Henry comparisons but his calmness on the ball - especially in the Nou Camp maelstrom - has been noticeable. His pace will always be a threat, his finishing has been solid and assured, a knack Walcott still searches for 10 years, not 10 minutes, into his Arsenal career. Wenger admits he is surprised by the rate at which Iwobi has adapted to this elevated level.

What was most impressive about his goal against Watford was the way he stopped when Alexis Sanchez had the ball, let the defence retreat, and then moved into the vacated space at the top of the penalty box for the Chilean’s pull-back.

Those that know him at Arsenal speak of Iwobi being a good, polite kid too (Jack Wilshere take note), with sound family support behind him, traits that won’t have gone unnoticed by Wenger. It also hasn’t gone unnoticed how much he is enjoying his football, celebrating his goals with a genuine joy and almost seeming amazed at what he has achieved when the club have put him in front of the TV cameras after games. It is a sign of his maturity that the club are unfazed about him being put up for limited media duties.

Two goals in two Premier League starts is an impressive beginning and reason to be optimistic for the most glass-half-empty of Arsenal fans. Not even Henry managed that, after all.