CARL CORT-ING A MOVE
The striker has also been the subject of rumours of a move to Leeds or Tottenham, but how has the England under-21s and Wimbledon striker performed this season?
The 6` 4" target man has scored nine times for the Dons this season and has been arguably the most important striker of their Premiership campaign, despite playing out of position out wide on the right. The London-born attacker has recorded an excellent goals to shots ratio of 17% and has managed to test opposing keepers with a more disappointing 41% of his efforts.
As well as scoring, he has also set up six goals for team-mates, which means that he has scored or set up over a third of the Dons` strikes this season.
However, if his ambitions do lie with the Highbury giants, then he might have difficulties displacing the current crop of four international forwards that are in Arsene Wenger`s squad.
Cort has spent more time on the pitch that any of the Gunners` quartet of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Davor Suker or Nwankwo Kanu but has a lower shooting accuracy than any of those strikers - especially Suker, who has fired 67% of his efforts on target.
The powerful Don has scored one more then Kanu or Suker and is just one league goal behind Henry. In the Arsenal team, he would surely get more opportunities in front of goal, but presently he has fired fewer shots on target than any of those Gunners mentioned, despite spending more time on the pitch.
However, the Wimbledon forward has recorded a better goals to shots ratio than three of the four Arsenal forwards. Only Suker - who rarely features - has recorded a superior goals to shots ratio of 19%.
In fact, Suker has played less that half the time Henry has for the London club, but has only netted two fewer goals than the 10 the Frenchman has scored. With Suker at 32-years old and Bergkamp almost 31, maybe Wenger will be looking for long-term replacements, but whether Cort is one of the targets, then only Wenger will know.
Cort may want to play for his boyhood idols and has hinted that he will leave his current club - especially if they are relegated. But Wenger already has players who are more than capable of leading the Gunners` future championship challenge. It would cost the Arsenal boss in excess of £6m to acquire the Dons` forward, so Cort`s dream of becoming a Gunner may remain just that.
