Chamakh is the striker we've been waiting for

I'm hugely, hugely impressed with Marouane Chamakh. Wenger waited a long time to bring him to Arsenal, and no Arsenal fan could be 100% sure why he was such an important acquisition. Having now seen him close-up, I can see why Wenger wanted him. He's a brilliant, technical link man who is adding a huge amount to an Arsenal team whose attacking play has evolved slightly at the start of this new season.

Chamakh offers obvious aerial ability. It will get him a bunch of goals for us, like the one he got in Saturday's game against Bolton. But his real virtues are elsewhere in his ability to work across the forward line; in the tracking back he can do, and in the way he brings other players into the game.

Playing 4-3-3 you need either a dominant line-leader like Drogba, or a trio who can interchange at will, like the great Barca team with Eto'o, Henry and Messi going wherever they needed to. Neither van Persie, nor Bendtner nor Eduardo are or were ever quite comfortable in either of those two roles. van Persie, for all his extravagant brilliance is best through the middle or on the right hand side of the box. When he needs to hold to the wing, he loses impact and his slightly slow style loses momentum. Chamakh though is a natural at moving out wide and switching with Arshavin. Rosicky, in for Walcott against Bolton, doesn't quite offer that positional fluidity, but it makes Walcott the natural third part of a front line, allowing him to come in the middle.

Chamakh's tracking back is also hugely impressive. Arshavin really does not offer much support in his own half of the pitch, but Chamakh seems willing to do that work for him, grafting, getting involved and quite often, getting the ball.

But what's really, really impressive about Chamakh is his link-up play. Give him the ball and he will work it intelligently to a player in a better position. He's not flashy, not over-ambitious in the way he does it, but he makes it work. In a team of players where the creative spirits will look for complex passes, be that Fabregas or Arshavin or Rosicky, you need someone to keep it simple. Chamakh does that brilliantly.

He does not offer extravagant gifts, or try too much. On highlights packages on TV he might disappear altogether, yet I'm starting to think Chamakh might be the missing link for Arsenal – the player who knits the forward line together that we've never had in the post Henry/Bergkamp period. Add all those unfussy virtues to a killer instinct six yards out, and we might have a player who makes a big, big difference on our hands.

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