Sport
Mahrez is a top talent but not what Arsenal need
Last season, Riyad Mahrez was by far and away the best player in the Premier League. The Algeria international was phenomenal as Leicester City earned a shock title success and a number of Europe’s elite clubs were linked with moves for the former Le Havre star. Mahrez is a top talent but not what Arsenal need right now.
Real Madrid and Chelsea both showed plenty of interest in Mahrez earlier this summer but nothing materialised – leaving the door open for another major club to come in and bid for the Foxes man. According to reports, Mahrez may be set to turn down a new £100,000 a week contract amid interest from Arsenal.
Whether the Gunners move for Mahrez or not, one thing’s for sure: he is much more suited to life at Leicester than he would be at the Emirates Stadium. At the King Power, he is a big fish in a small pond. At Arsenal, he may struggle to hold down a regular spot in the starting line-up.
Ultimately, it all boils down to a few key points: firstly, whether Mahrez is willing to follow Jamie Vardy and snub Arsenal – a club steeped in history – to stay with the defending champions? Loyalty is rare in football nowadays and Claudio Ranieri’s men could take plenty of confidence if both Mahrez and Vardy commit their futures to the club.
In addition, does Mahrez believe Leicester can go further or was last season a one-off? Only time will tell but it is hard to imagine the Foxes holding their own at the top of the table for the second season running. England’s elite clubs simply have too much money and Leicester just cannot match their financial prowess in the transfer market.
If truth be told, I don’t believe Riyad Mahrez would be a great fit at Arsenal at all. The Gunners don’t exactly need any more wide men – they need a striker. And with Ivan Gazidis stating that the current crop of Arsenal players can challenge for the title, it doesn’t look like Arsene Wenger and co are planning on investing huge sums of money.
The Gunners would have to bid at least £40 million for Leicester to even consider selling the Algerian winger – and Arsenal rarely spend big. After finishing second in the table last season, Wenger’s men only needed a few signings ahead of the new campaign. Granit Xhaka gives the Gunners another competent option in midfield but their other business has been poor.
It looks like Olivier Giroud is going to start the season as Arsenal’s main striker once again; much to the dismay of most Gunners fans. Instead of paying over the odds for Mahrez, Wenger could consider moving for Alexandre Lacazette. The Lyon frontman was phenomenal last season and Arsenal need a top frontman – but Wenger’s incompetence in the market looks set to hurt the Gunners once again.
Riyad Mahrez would be a nice asset to have but it would be foolish to expect the winger to emulate last season’s form at Arsenal. The Algeria man is a top talent and the Gunners certainly wouldn’t say no to him – but it looks like the cost and fit have persuaded Arsenal to look elsewhere and reconsider…
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