In 2011, Samuel Eto'o shocked the footballing world by becoming the highest paid footballer in the world when he agreed a jaw-dropping £350,000 per week deal to leave Inter for the Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. At the time, it seemed like that was all she wrote for Eto'o's time in the big leagues, and the Cameroonian would amass enough money to retire for three lifetimes by the time he and Azhi called it quits.
However, the 32-year-old appears to be back on the market as his club are going through what they called "a change in operation" but what the rest of the world call "running out of money" - Anzhi on the verge of a fire sale with the Russian's seemingly desperate to get the strikers gargantuan wages off their books.
It all seems a little bit too inevitable to be funny, but it does mean that a three time Champions League winner with probably 2-3 years of top class football left in the tank is available for cheap and this writer had a brilliant notion at 3am this morning that is so fantastic, so logical and makes so much sense I can GUARAN-DAMN-TEE that it won't happen.
But Samuel Eto'o should sign for Arsenal.
Think about it. Arsenal are in the market for a striker, a guy who can guarantee 20-30 goals a season and bring some solidity, reliability and leadership to a side that has lost it's footballing go-to-guys almost annually to their rivals. Being handed the captains armband is akin to a formal notice of eviction at the Emirates, and the Gunners really need someone to lead from the front who will stick around long enough to phase in a new generation of players, instead of being left high and dry by the absence of veteran stars.
Eto'o is a winner, a hard worker and a very talented footballer. Qualms about his age are actually irrelevant - his experience is actually a factor in why this move makes so much sense. Reports are swirling that he is willing to accept around £5m a year to bring his services back into mainland Europe and Anzhi will accept a cut-price deal for the player just to get him away from their finances.
Arsenal have a real opportunity to bring a winning, experienced player with big-game experience for relatively cheap player who won't be at the club long enough to be a hindrance. He isn't an "investment" for the future that Arsenal fans don't have to worry if Manchester City are going to steal him away every 6 months. He's here to win now, and that's what Arsenal need.
For Eto'o, he gets guaranteed starts in the most marketable league in the world, a fan-base that will adore him the moment he walks through the door and the prospect of spending any remaining rubles he kept from his lucrative Russian contract to spend on the London high-streets. Being in a league that has a more open attitude toward black players as well would be a welcome relief for Eto'o after his struggles in Russia(as well as numerous episodes during his time in Spain and Italy before that) who joins a club that always had a strong African contingent under Arsene Wenger.
Samuel Eto'o to Arsenal. It makes so much sense, it probably won't happen.
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