After the disaster of Junichi Inamoto, can Arsene Wenger really afford to take another gamble on Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda?
Last week, Wenger expressed his admiration for Honda and gave the Samurai Blue attacking midfielder the ultimate compliment by hailing the 24-year-old as ‘a genius’ and also pinpointed the player as the star man in this years World Cup in South Africa. Last week, Wenger told Eurosport of his awe of Honda:
“This Japanese team is based on a solid and collective defence in which everybody knows exactly what to do. When they get the ball they can give it to Honda – and the magic starts. When they get that genius Honda playing up front, he had shown what a top class player he is. For me he’s the best performer of the competition so far.”
Without a doubt Honda was an intricate figure for Japan in South Africa this summer, where he managed to start all 4 games in the tournament and bagged 2 goals along the way as well. Honda is currently contracted to CSKA Moscow and is widely known around Europe due to his appearances in the Champions League. However, after performing extremely well in South Africa and dazzling many with his technical ability this summer, the Samurai Blus midfielder has no doubt turned many heads.
Wenger appears to be keen on the player and may make a move for Honda sometime during the summer. However, a lot of Arsenal fans will remember when Wenger brought Arsenal’s first and only Japanese player in the form of Junichi Inamoto…it didn’t bold well.
Currently playing his home country for Kawasaki Frontale, Inamoto was once an Arsenal player. Wenger obtained Inamoto’s services in 2001 but failed to make an impact at the club. The midfielder only managed to appear to 4 times (2 games in the League Cup and the other 2 in the Champion’s League). Although Inamoto did well in the 2002 World Cup, the midfielder failed miserably to find a consistent place within the Arsenal first-team which prompted a move away from North London…not an Arsenal player at all. Surely lightning couldn’t strike twice if Honda were to make a move to Arsenal, right?
Undoubtedly Honda was Japan’s star man this summer and certainly impressed me with his movement and all-round knowledge of the game in general. The midfielder is also very versatile and can play as a second striker and even a left-back if required. Honda seizes great pace, agility and a great level of technical ability which would suit Arsenal’s style of football.
Keisuke Honda has only been with CSKA Moscow for 6 months having signed for the Russian club in December 2009 on a four-year deal. Taking this into consideration and the fact that the attacking midfielder had a splendid World Cup, CSKA will only sell the Japanese star for the right price. However, the player’s agent, Kees Ploegsma has conceded that should big European clubs come knocking for his client’s services, the player would find it hard to resist. According to the Sun, Ploegsma stated:
“Keisuke plays in a beautiful city for an important club, but obviously if there are offers from big European clubs it is difficult to say ‘no’. At this time there are no bids and all in all he is happy at CSKA but we’ll see.”
So really, it all depends at what price the Russian club are willing to let the midfielder go at. CSKA spent £5 million on the Japanese international, and with 4 years left on his contract and a fine World Cup tournament under his belt, Honda maybe priced in the region of £13-16 million.
Would the value of the player be a gamble for Wenger to spend this summer? Not really, considering the fact that he has spent the same on past players. Is Inamoto the same type of player as Honda? No. Honda looks a more demanding player and has experience in Europe. Honda is also more technically gifted than Inamoto, and to label Honda as ‘a gamble’ is wrong in many fans eyes. Inamoto’s failure does not mean that the CSKA man will fall short at Arsenal. If Wenger is intrigued in the player and believes Honda is ‘a genius’ then the Frenchman should definitely pursuit his interest further, despite the past failure of one Japanese player at the club.
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Click on image below to see the ITALIAN babes at the World Cup