What’s the story?
Reports in France suggest that Arsenal are close to signing AS Monaco’s highly-rated Thomas Lemar for a fee in excess of €30m. French publication L’Equipe claims the Gunners increased their bid to sign the 21-year-old left winger.
Monaco have already lost Bernardo Silva to Manchester City for a fee of £43m and could also lose out on Kylian Mbappe who has also been linked with a move to Arsenal. While Mbappe could cost more than £100m, Lemar may not cost more than £30m.
Lemar currently has a contract with the Ligue 1 club until 2020 and is currently rated at £21m. However, the Premier League’s riches will see the French club hold out for a bigger fee.
In case you didn’t know...
Wenger had tried to sign Lemar in the summer of 2015 back when he was at French club Caen. Both Lemar and N’Golo Kante were on Wenger’s radar and he had planned to sign both players for a mere £13.1m (€15m).
However, neither player moved to the Emirates at the time. Kante moved to Leicester City for £5.6m while Lemar went on to sign for Monaco in a deal worth £3.5m.
The heart of the matter
Lemar was one of Monaco’s standout players in their Ligue 1 triumph and their journey to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. The winger scored 14 goals (nine goals in Ligue 1) and also bagged 14 assists in all competitions.
Playing primarily on the left wing in a 4-4-2 formation, Lemar also has the ability to play on the right and Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim had deployed him on the opposite flank in a few games this season.
With Alexis Sanchez possibly leaving the club this summer, Lemar would be a good option for Wenger out on the left. He may not replace the goals scored by the Chilean but his ability to create and score would certainly help the Gunners. His ability on free kicks is also a huge bonus.
Video: Lemar’s free-kick against former club Caen
Amazing free kick from Monaco's Thomas Lemar! pic.twitter.com/hAPmUPORDY
— WantMyBet? (@wantmybet) March 5, 2016
Author’s take
Lemar is the perfect Wenger signing – he’s young, he’s French and he has the technical ability to play on the wing and in midfield. His movement off the ball is intelligent while he creates two chances per game on average with a pass accuracy in the low 80s.
Alex Iwobi, also 21, was trusted by Wenger to deliver this season and that did not end well with Iwobi scoring just four goals in the league and in Europe. Lemar would certainly be an upgrade over Iwobi. Wenger needs more goals from his attacking players and Lemar certainly fits the bill.
