Arsenal have just forked out the best part of £17m for a new striker, but the answer to their attacking problems might have been under their noses the whole time.
No, not Yaya Sanogo, who manager Arsène Wenger tactfully noted ‘is still here’ earlier in the summer. We’re talking about Mesut Özil’s dog Balboa.
Özil shared a clip of a back garden kickabout with the pup, and it got Arsenal fans excited in the way only a player’s pet can.
Fun with Balboa 👍😉 Turns out that my dog has a pretty good technique! 😄🐶 #London #NewStar #football pic.twitter.com/yaMdPdZEEA
— Mesut Özil (@M10) September 5, 2016
The pup might not have the goalscoring record of new arrival Lucas Pérez, but fans already reckon Balboa offers more in front of goal than some of the Gunners’ other attacking options.
https://twitter.com/amarAFC_10/status/772822797542449153
Your Dog controls better than Giroud
— #PSG (@ShovTheMISFIT) September 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/Wengers_Aide/status/772874297102766080
https://twitter.com/ArsenalsCannon/status/772834078739619842
https://twitter.com/moz_gooner/status/772817807390236672
There is one bigger question at hand, though, and that is whether Balboa is better at football than Alexis Sánchez’s dogs Atom & Humber.
The pair, who justifiably earned themselves midfield berths in our own alternative 2015/16 team of the season, have long been fan favourites, even before selling out with an appearance with their owner on a Master Dog advert.
Sure, that Titanic-themed video was a bit weird, but there’s no doubting the animals’ movement and pace off the ball. The only question is whether they can match Balboa’s technique.
Fans are withholding judgement for now, but it’s only a matter of time before we can find out who the real top dogs are.
Waiting for Alexis to put out the video of him with atom and humber
— S. 🌹 (@hectorbellerun) September 5, 2016
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