By ’Tayo Amosu
September 5th, 2014
In a tweet after news broke of Arsenal signing England international, Danny Welbeck in a deal worth about £16m, former England and Queens Park Rangers defender, Rio Ferdinand said: ‘‘Welbeck is a top signing for Arsenal. Good business done by them. If he gets that trust to be number one striker at AFC he will flourish and explode.’’
Arsenal was able to secure a deal for Welbeck beating the 11pm deadline on Monday night in a piece of business that many English pundits have applauded probably because it would increase and give Arsenal the look of a team with a British core.
The 23-year-old attacker penned a long term deal as against the loan deal that was bandied about in the media that Arsenal could prepare for Radamel Falcao worth £20m.
Former Manchester United coach, Alex Ferguson gave Danny Welbeck a shot at fame and the player did just well not only to make a good impression on the forward role at Manchester United, but earned his several call-ups into the England senior national team during his time at the Old Trafford.
However, under David Moyes last season, Welbeck appeared to be making steady progress in a team that had Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney more highly rated than him, scoring 9 times in 25 Premier League appearances with some of those appearances as substitutes.
He made the English team that failed to qualify for the second round of the FIFA 2014 World Cup and his experience should count for something at the Emirates.
Danny Welbeck has scored 20 times in 90 appearances for Manchester United and 19 times in 61 caps for England at the U17, 18, 19, 21 and the three Lions of England.
The 6ft. 1in. player, who can also play as a winger, played at Preston North End and Sunderland in his developmental years under Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
Rio Ferdinand, who played with Welbeck before his switch to Queens Park Rangers this summer, is expected to know more than the Arsenal fans at this stage of the sterling qualities that the forward would bring to the Emirates by virtue of association.
The player was an integral member of the Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United that won the English Premier League title two seasons ago contributing some vital goals in the League winning campaign in 2011/2012 season.
Despite the news of an injury scare to the young forward in the England camp for this week’s international match against Norway, Arsenal fans would have a very comforting solace in the fact that it wouldn’t come as serious as that of Olivier Giroud that may take him out of action as much as the French man.
No update on the player’s injury has been given yet, but hope is hinged on what the England manager, Roy Hodgson referred to as a ‘slight knock’.
Not anywhere the calibre and status of Radamel Falcao, Marco Reus and Edison Cavani, all of who have been linked to Arsenal this summer, but a decent signing at a decent fee for an English player, Arsenal has done and this is echoed by his former teammate both for Manchester United and the Three Lions of England.
