Thierry Henry's Arsenal exit has sparked a flurry of speculation
about who could replace the club's record goalscorer.
We look at the leading contenders:
MICHAEL OWEN
The England striker has emerged as the bookies' favourite, largely
because of rumours he is unsettled at Newcastle and has a reported
£9million release clause. He is certainly in a similar league to
Henry in terms of finishing ability but lacks the Frenchman's knack
of scoring out of nothing and laying on goals for others.
NICOLAS ANELKA
The man whose controversial departure paved the way for Henry's
arrival at Arsenal is being heavily tipped to make a shock return.
On his day, Anelka can be as unplayable as his more feted
compatriot but has failed to demonstrate the same level of
consistency.
SAMUEL ETO'O
Arguably the only striker who could truly replace Henry at Emirates
Stadium, Eto'o is Spanish football's goalscorer supreme. Henry's
arrival may well signal his exit, though Arsenal would surely have
made his acquisition part of the deal were they interested.
FERNANDO TORRES
The most exciting young striker in Spain has long been linked with
a move to the Premier League and possesses all the skills to be a
success at Arsenal. However, his goalscoring record in Spain is
rather modest compared to Henry's remarkable statistics, while his
price tag may exceed the £16million Arsenal are set to receive from
Barcelona.
DAVID VILLA
A completely different type of player to Henry, Villa is
nonetheless one of Spanish football's hottest properties. Like
Torres, however, he may cost in excess of £16million and it is far
from certain he possesses the attributes to adapt quickly to the
pace of the Premier League.
CARLOS TEVEZ
After taking time to settle in England, Tevez demonstrated why he
was one of the most sought-after young strikers in the world by
almost single-handedly rescuing West Ham from relegation. Boasting
breathtaking skill and a superb eye for goal, he would certainly
not be out of place at Emirates Stadium.
RYAN BABEL
If Arsene Wenger is keen to continue his policy of unearthing young
talent and, if Arsenal are looking for a bargain, they could do
worse than take a chance on Ajax and Holland prospect Babel. The
20-year-old was one of stars of his country's European Under-21
Championship success and would command a reasonable transfer
fee.
DAVID TREZEGUET
The only one of the contenders with a goalscoring record comparable
to that of Henry, Trezeguet is coming off the back of a season in
Serie B following Juventus' demotion for match-fixing. A genuine
target-man, he offers different qualities to his France team-mate
but nonetheless has the experience to help nurture some of the
club's younger players.
DIEGO MILITO
The Real Zaragoza striker is coming off the back of a superb season
in the Primera Liga. Like Trezeguet, he is a powerful striker, and
is extremely strong in the air. But he is more likely to be a
fall-back option than first-choice for Arsene Wenger
DIEGO FORLAN
After emerging a something of a laughing stock at Manchester
United, Forlan confounded his critics by finishing top scorer in
his first season in Spain. The Villarreal forward has not quite hit
those heights since but is still a more than reliable finisher.
However, he would still represent a real gamble, due to his
previous failure in English football.
