Arsenal FC: Can Danny Welbeck Carry the Gunners Moving Forward?

Score a hat-trick in an Arsenal shirt and apparently it makes you Thierry Henry 2.0.

Not so fast: Need you reminding the last Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League was Nicklas Bendtner. A hat-trick does not a Gunner legend make. That said, Danny Welbeck has shown an uncanny ability to be in the right positions throughout his brief Arsenal tenure—£16 million well spent from Arsene Wenger indeed.

But is this former Manchester United prodigy the real deal? Can he carry the weight for Arsenal moving forward?

Glad you asked.

Welbeck's goalscoring record with United has been the subject of much criticism; 20 goals in 90 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils would suggest the English international is inept as a purported striker. Most, though, are quick to assert many of his appearances were from the substitute's bench and Welbeck never really played as a recognised "No. 9" while at Old Trafford.

Those voices are correct.

Being able to break into the Manchester United setup as a striker is a feat individually—playing your best position and doing so would seem almost impossible. How United would have used Welbeck up front is up for debate, but Arsenal's ethic looks a perfect fit.

Against Galatasaray, the £16 million man was allowed space to run into—knowing full well the strengths of their teammate, his midfield sought him with great effect. What raises questions from this performance was the naive approach from Galatasaray.

Whether by ignorance or sheer incompetence, allowing a player with Welbeck's qualities to do exactly what he wants is tantamount to criminal behaviour.

It was the footballing cliche of stealing candy from a baby. The Premier League, though, will not be so accommodating to the young, pacey striker and Arsenal's midfield—especially sides who have the means to press and harass suppliers.

This weekend, as Arsenal visit Stamford Bridge in a second consecutive London Derby, Chelsea and Jose Mourinho will certainly be aware of Welbeck's penetrative runs. Combined with pressing the Gunners high, the opportunities to pick out dangerous movements in attacking areas will dramatically decrease for Welbeck's teammates.

Therein lies the striker's maturation process and determining whether he will be able to lead Wenger's line: Can Welbeck put away the one and only chance he gets?

If he can transform under Wenger into an assassin of sorts, then yes, the Welbeck of Wednesday night's Champions League triumph is for real and shall terrorise many defences (regardless of competition) over the next decade. But if Arsenal have essentially bought a flat-track bully, their fourth-place quests will continue to linger.

At nearly 24 years of age, however, you would expect—with tutelage and experience—this particular purchase to reach his instinctive and clinical best.

In the short term, our best vantage point will be when Olivier Giroud returns to full fitness around January 2015, according to ESPN FC. If Welbeck is placed wide or benched in favour of the French international, Wenger will have publicly disseminated his verdict.

Luckily the English forward has three months to remove all doubt from such hypothetical scenarios.

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