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Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson says he is “flabbergasted” by the club’s decision to meet the £20m release clause in Jamie Vardy’s contract with Leicester City .
The 29-year-old striker is considering his options while on duty with the England squad in Chantilly ahead of the European Championship and remains unlikely to make a decision on his immediate future until after the tournament.
Arsenal have offered Vardy an initial three-year contract on £120,000-a-week after the former Fleetwood forward fired Leicester to the Premier league title last season, scoring 24 goals in a system designed around him by manager Claudio Ranieri.
Summer 2016 Transfer Window - Done deals and rumours The champions remain quietly confident they will be able to persuade Vardy to agree fresh terms after countering Arsenal’s offer with a lucrative financial package of their own, believed to be worth £100,000-a-week .
But Merson, who made 289 appearances for the Gunners across a 12-year stay in north London, admits he was surprised by Arsène Wenger’s decision to move for Vardy, questioning his suitability for a switch to the Emirates Stadium.
The 48-year-old pundit told talkSPORT : “I'm shocked. I'm absolutely flabbergasted with it. Arsenal don't get the ball forward quick enough for Jamie Vardy. No disrespect, but he plays at Leicester where everyone goes and has a go at them.
Show all 18 1 /18Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2000/01: Francis Jeffers - Everton - £8m 'Fox in the box' Jeffers was the most exciting young England striker going thanks to an impressive goal return after breaking through at Everton. However his time at Arsenal was dreadful due to a combination of injuries and competition for places and in 2003 he returned to Everton on loan having scored just four league goals.
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2000/01: Sylvain Wiltord - Bordeux - £13m Best remembered for scoring the winning goal at Old Trafford that secured Arsenal the 2001/02 Premier League title against Manchester United. The Euro 2000 winner scored at a decent rate for the Gunners but perhaps not as regularly as his price tag meant he should have.
2002 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2003/04: Robin van Persie - Feyenoord - £2.75m Having not signed a striker across the previous two summers, Wenger finally returned to the market to sign a relatively unknown Dutchman called Robin van Persie. He would turn out to be one of the most exciting strikers to ever play for Arsenal - but only when he wasn't injured (which was far too much of the time). In eight Premier League campaigns he amassed 96 goals (48 in his final two seasons) before leaving for Manchester United.
2012 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2003/04: Jose Reyes - Seville - £10.5m Reyes was one of the most expensive signings in the club's history when he arrived in the January window but while undoubtedly talented he proved frustratingly inconsistent. His greatest contribution was the role he played in Arsenal's run to the 2006 Champions League final, while his lowest point was getting sent off in the 2005 FA Cup final. Having scored 16 goals in 69 Premier League appearances Reyes moved to Real Madrid on loan amid reports of him feeling homesick.
2004 AFP
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2005/06: Emmanuel Adebayor - Monaco - £7m Wenger went a year without signing a striker before collecting a few in one season. Among those arriving for the 2005/06 season was Adebayor. Arsenal fans can't stand him now due to the manner of his departure for Manchester City but they can't deny that the Togo international was one of their better recent strikers. Having arrived in the January window he scored on his debut and amassed 46 goals in 104 Premier League appearances.
2006 AFP
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2005/06: Theo Walcott - Southampton - £7m Walcott also arrived in that January window and remains at the club to this day. The England international was just 16 when he joined from Southampton. His pace has provided thrills but his ability in front of goal has been a constant frustration with him reaching double figures in the Premier League just once.
2006 AFP
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2005/06: Nicklas Bendtner - FC Copenhagen Bendtner would become something of a cult figure at Arsenal but that owed more to his unrelenting self-confidence rather than his ability in front of goal. What was most remarkable about the Dane's ego was that Wenger seemed to think it was warranted, despite little evidence to suggest it was. There were 108 league appearances, 24 Premier League goals and three loan spells before Bendtner finally left Arsenal for Wolfsburg in 2014.
2007 AFP
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2005/06: Carlos Vela - Guadalajara - £550,000 After impressing in Mexico, Vela was linked with various European clubs before Arsenal secured his signature. However due to work permit issues he only started playing for the Gunners a couple of years later. Vela wasn't worth the wait. He scored just 11 goals for the club in all competitions before departing.
2010 AFP
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2006/07: Eduardo - Dinamo Zagreb Eduardo's most notable moment was the leg break he suffered against Birmingham that derailed Arsenal's 2008/09 Premier League campaign. Probably not how a striker would like to be best remembered. Scored just six goals for the club across three seasons before leaving for Shakhtar Dontesk.
2009 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2009/10: Marouane Chamakh - Bordeux - free Arsenal went two summers without signing a striker before Chamakh arrived to answer the prayers of the Arsenal fans. Having been linked with the club for a while, the Frenchman eventually pitched up on a free transfer. For most Gooners, that was still too expensive. Things never got better for Chamakh than a couple of goals in his opening few games. Two years after joining he was sent on loan to West Ham and his Arsenal career ended with 14 goals to his name in 67 appearances.
2010 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2011/12: Gervinho - Lille - £10.5m Wenger opted not to sign another striker for two years and when he did he brought Gervinho to the club from Lille. Things didn't start well for the Ivorian, who was sent off on his debut against Newcastle. And they never got much better. A total of 11 goals in 63 appearances was recorded before he departed for Roma just two years after arriving.
2013 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2011/12: Joel Campbell - Saprissa After an impressive World Cup with Costa Rica in 2014, Wenger decided to finally give Campbell a chance following three different loan spells. But then the Arsenal manager loaned him to Villarreal for the second half of the 2014/15 campaign. 2015/16 was Campbell's first full campaign at the Emirates but he'll have to improve on his return of three goals in 19 Premier League games if he wants many more.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2011/12: Park Chu-Young - Monaco Handed the Arsenal number 9 shirt, there were understandably high hopes for the Korean. They were clearly misplaced, which is perhaps why he was reassigned the number 30 shirt a year later. Chu-Young would spend three years on Arsenal's books, play seven games and score one goal. In the League Cup.
2011 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2012/13: Lukas Podolski - Cologne - £11m Wenger moved for a much better known player the following summer with the signing of Podolski. The German was a goal machine at international level and it was hoped he'd convert that to the club stage with Arsenal. He did okay, scoring 31 goals in 82 appearances over his three years at the club, but Wenger never seemed to be his greatest fan which meant his appearances were restricted.
2014 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2012/13: Olivier Giroud - Montpellier - £13m France international Giroud has been Arsenal's most consistent scorer since Adebayor, reaching double figures in the Premier League in all four seasons he has spent at the club. However his no-frills style of play have failed to endear him to supporters.
2016 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2013/14: Yaya Sanogo - Auxerre - free Now aged 23, Sanogo has shown glimpses of his talent but is yet to become a regular goalscorer.
2014 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2014/15: Alexis Sanchez - Barcelona - £30m Sanchez was something of a scalp for Arsenal when he arrived from Barcelona and the Chilean has not only justified his price-tag but made it look a bargain by becoming Arsenal's best player.
2016 Getty Images
Every Arsenal striker signed since Thierry Henry 2014/15: Danny Welbeck - Manchester United - £16m Another scalp was that of Welbeck, snatched away from Old Trafford despite the protestations of fans and former players who thought Manchester United were wrong to let one of their youth products depart so easily. There is a feeling the England international doesn't score quite enough goals, but his contribution in unquestionable. The more serious issue is his woeful injury record.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
“ 20 of his goals must have been over the top, balls that he is running on to, beat the goalie and great finish. You play for Arsenal, you kick off and the other team sit ten men behind the ball. Leicester suits Vardy, in my opinion. He is perfect for them.
“They play his way, they get the ball forward very quickly and he will keep on causing havoc. If he goes to Arsenal, I just don't see it. That is no disrespect to him. I'm not saying he won't get goals but I don't think he will get enough opportunities [at Arsenal].”
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