What’s the story?
Manchester United star Anthony Martial is all set to be the subject of a concerted effort from Arsenal to sign him, according to British news outlet, The Daily Mail. Gunners’ boss Arsene Wenger is a huge fan of the Frenchman, and if he misses out on AS Monaco’s teenage sensation, Kylian Mbappe, Arsenal are all set to bid €46 million for Martial, who has struggled to make his mark under Red Devils’ boss Jose Mourinho.
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In case you didn’t know...
Martial arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2015, signed by Louis van Gaal in a deal that made him the world’s most expensive teenager, with AS Monaco receiving £58 million. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger revealed shortly after that the Gunners bid for Martial in 2014 (who was then in Lyon), saying “We always liked him, already when he was in Lyon. That was also a surprise, that Lyon sold him for €5 million.” Noting that he was surprised by AS Monaco selling to United, Wenger said, “The amount of money was massive but Monaco could have sold him next season instead. I was surprised they sold him. Only an exceptional amount of money would do it.”
The heart of the matter
Jose Mourinho will prove to be the biggest stumbling block for Arsenal if they hope to sign Martial, due to the personal animosity between Wenger and the Red Devils’ boss. As such, the report states that Arsenal want the negotiations to take place at the board level, so that there are no acrimonious last-minute u-turns, such as Mourinho pulling the plug on a deal for Demba Ba to Arsenal while in charge of Chelsea and leaving the Gunners bereft of a striker.
Given that Martial has only scored 25 times in 91 appearances for Manchester United, the hierarchy at Old Trafford might be willing to recoup a large part of their fee, especially since the Frenchman’s stock has declined rapidly this season. Martial has struggled for game-time under Mourinho, often playing a reserve role and thus Arsenal hope that a 46 million fee would tempt United into selling.
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Author’s Take
The comparisons with Thierry Henry have died down, especially now that Kylian Mbappe has exploded onto the scene, but Anthony Martial would represent a clever piece of business by Arsenal. It’s no secret that the United youngster was unhappy at losing the No. 9 shirt and he would perhaps be better served by a manager who would have no qualms in playing him as his first-choice central striker.
