Arsene Wenger insists that Arsenal are remaining active in the transfer market in spite of inflated prices.
Despite Arsenal forking out £52m for Alexandre Lacazette this summer, fans are still anxious that their team is lacking just weeks away from the new season. However, Wenger insists that in spite of the hugely inflated prices in the transfer market at the moment, the Gunners are still active.
“What’s next is to remain active,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “Not a lot [has] happened.
“I believe there are actually two ways to improve the team. First of all to improve the quality of what we do in training to improve the squad and improve the players we have, and secondly to bring more top-level players in.
“The difficulty is to bring top-level players in because you pay a huge amount of money for very normal players at the moment. As well, all the big clubs are chasing the same players and that provokes huge inflation. Maybe this will be the first time we [football clubs] pay over £200m, maybe over £300m with Neymar and around £200m with Mbappe.
“So there is a huge inflation. But we are active, we are working hard and I think we have done well with Kolasinac, we have done well with Lacazette and we are continuing to work.”
Back in June, Arsenal broke their club record on Lyon striker, Lacazette, making the Frenchman their second signing of the summer after ex-Schalke left-back, Sead Kolasinac.
The 26-year-old has already scored his first goal in red and white against Sydney FC while on pre-season tour down under, giving Gooners a taste of what’s to come. Or so we hope, anyway.
Since signing Lacazette, Arsenal have been heavily linked with Monaco winger, Thomas Lemar, who the Gunners have reportedly made an offer of £45m for.
Contrary to what the Ligue 1 say regarding keeping the 21-year-old, the Sun insists that Arsenal are on the brink of bringing the winger to north London.
The Gunners have also been linked with Riyad Mahrez again since he’s made it clear that he wants to leave Leicester. While Roma were allegedly closing in on the Algerian winger, recent reports claim that after having two bids rejected, the Serie A side have given up.
It remains to be seen if this is what Wenger means by ‘active’. However, other than this and bizarre claims regarding Arsenal paying massive amounts of Kylian Mbappe, it’s all been pretty quiet.