5 things Thomas Lemar would bring to Arsenal

The transfer rumours, so far, have not brought much of a good news for Arsenal fans. Alexis Sanchez seems made up on his decision to leave Arsenal. Ozil continues to lull on a £280,000 per week contract offer. Reports have emerged that Oxlade-Chamberlain rejected outright the contract offered to him and plans to leave this summer or the next.

Amidst such gloom, the news of the impending arrival of Lacazette has been welcomed with great relief on all quarters, albeit with the lingering suspicion that he could be a proactive replacement for Sanchez. The arrival of Sead Kolasinac, even though it did not garner as much media attention, was also a shrewd signing on a free.

However, one of the more interesting links with Arsenal this summer has been the one with Thomas Lemar. Reportedly a long-term Tottenham target, the left-footed Monaco winger was subject to a £31 million bid from Arsenal last week. Monaco turned down the bid and seems adamant in their stance that Lemar is not for sale.

At this stage, a deal seems very unlikely – but if he were to pull it off, it would be quite a masterstroke by Wenger. At 21 years of age, Lemar is at a stage of his career where Wenger can polish his talents to help him become world class.

Here are 5 things Thomas Lemar would bring to Arsenal if he were to sign.

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#1 Belief

It would be quite a statement if Lemar agrees to a switch to Arsenal

On the evening of May 21, 2017, as the Arsenal players trudged away from the pitch after their 3-1 win against Everton, the discontent was palpable. After 20 seasons, Arsenal had failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Thursday night football awaited a team that boasted world class talents like Ozil, Sanchez and Cech. 10 days later, Arsene Wenger signed a new contract on the back of the FA Cup win, angering the dissenting faction even more.

While giants like Chelsea (Bakoyoko), Real Madrid (Mbappe) and Manchester City (Bernardo Silva) are poaching away other Monaco stars, it would be quite a statement if Lemar agrees to switch to London from the Ligue 1 champions.

Alongside the Lacazette signing, it would send out a resounding statement about their ambitions and play its part in convincing other potential recruits to join Arsenal.

#2 Set piece prowess; Dangerous early crossing

Lemar has an uncanny tendency to swing in extremely dangerous early crosses

With the injury to Cazorla, Arsenal's indirect set piece duties have mostly been allotted to Mesut Ozil. With the uncertainty surrounding his future, it would not be a bad time for Wenger to acquire a dead ball specialist.

Step forward, Thomas Lemar. With his ability to swing in a perfect set-piece with his left foot, the incoming Alexandre Lacazette would be cherishing the prospect of linking up with Thomas Lemar. Not just with set-pieces, Lemar has an uncanny tendency to swing in extremely dangerous early crosses rather than dribble all the way to the byline.

This would suit Arsenal's newfound counter attacking prowess to the core, and midfield runners like Ramsey will have plenty of deliveries to latch on to.

#3 Directness

Lemar's acquisition would help convert more of those beautifully crafted Arsenal chances to goals

Alexis Sanchez has been such a revelation in this Arsenal side mainly because he provided the finishing touch to their passing gameplay. A lethal dribble, a speculative shot from the edge of the box, a willingness to take on opposition rather than play around them all the time – Sanchez ticked all the boxes that Arsenal had been lacking until that point.

Thomas Lemar would be another step in this positive direction. Like Granit Xhaka, he has the tendency to score an occasional screamer from long range as well. Lemar's acquisition would help convert more of those beautifully crafted Arsenal chances to goals.

#4 Squad depth & tactical options

An injury to Cazorla took a lot away from this side

In recent years, Wenger has addressed long-standing concerns about squad depth. Elneny, Xhaka, Ramsey, Coquelin, Cazorla for midfield positions; Ox, Ozil, Sanchez, Iwobi, Walcott for attacking positions; and 3 capable strikers in Lucas Perez, Giroud and Welbeck.

But an injury to Cazorla took a lot away from this side; Wenger's switch to 3-4-2-1 was part of his attempts to move the creativity from deep that Cazorla used to provide towards in advanced areas of the pitch.

Lemar's acquisition could be a tactically significant one. He can convert to a wingback like Ox did, or flank Ozil on one side with Sanchez on the other side in a 4-2-3-1; he can even play as one of the deeper midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 to provide drive and creativity from deep.

Arsenal's squad depth has improved leaps and bounds in recent years; now it is up to Wenger to ensure he leverages it to make Arsenal tactically less predictable.

#5 Suitability for Wenger's gameplay

It would be a seamless transition from a free-scoring Monaco side for Lemar

A bit in contrast to his prima facie direct style, Lemar has expressed his view that he prefers to link up with team mates, rather than take on defenders. "I am trying to avoid duels and concentrate on passing and movement as much as possible."

It evokes the memories of Alexis Sanchez during his first 2-3 games for Arsenal. He seemed out of tune with the rest of the side, taking too long on the ball, out of sync with the moving patterns of his teammates....but eventually the striker adapted to the team's gameplay; and likewise, the team adjusted their approach to accommodate Sanchez.

If he wants to "concentrate on passing and movement as much as possible", what better place to be than at Arsenal? With his skillset of quick feet, even quicker thinking, work rate, pace and versatility, he is perfect for "Wengerball", if you will – and it would be a seamless transition from a free-scoring Monaco side.