With the transfer window in full swing and everything pretty quiet on the Arsenal front, we asked our followers who the Gunners should sign if we could only bring in one more player this summer.
You pick
Of course, we had the odd unimaginative suggestion like Lionel Messi. One or two got a little more adventurous with Antoine Griezmann. One person said Emmanuel Frimpong, which was certainly thinking outside the box.
However, most of you decided to stick to something realistic with the majority revealing that you want us to sign Thomas Lemar, or Virgil van Dijk, or tie Alexis Sanchez down to a new deal.
All of which are actually not too crazy.
https://twitter.com/kuuma27/status/890839700134440961
Monaco winger, Lemar, has been heavily linked with Arsenal this summer, with the Gunners reportedly having returned with a £45m bid after having their previous two offers rebuffed.
According to the Sun, a ‘breakthrough’ has been made and negotiations are progressing well but… it is the Sun.
The Ligue 1 side claim that they’re not selling to 21-year-old this summer.
https://twitter.com/LFASoccerSchool/status/890835310459969536
https://twitter.com/OmarSherif_AFC/status/890835425882931202
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been linked with Van Dijk again recently after the centre-back was rumoured to be joining Liverpool. Most reports still claim he’s heading to Merseyside.
https://twitter.com/bharathbs218/status/890834431115534336
Alexis is an odd one.
Most Gooners want him to stay but they want him to want to stay. We don’t want players disrupting the dressing room, throwing their toys out the pram and attempting to force a move to a rival.
Therefore, if Arsenal could convince him to sign a new deal and therefore prove that he wants to stay, Gooners, at least according to Twitter, would be very happy.
Or, you know:
Sky Sports claim Lemar Arsenal talks are ongoing
Arsenal are reportedly still very much in talks to bring Monaco winger, Thomas Lemar, to north London.
Dharmesh Sheth revealed on Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre show that Arsenal are apparently still in talks to sign Lemar from Monaco, despite the Ligue 1 club insisting that the 21-year-old isn’t for sale.
‘Perfect’ Alexis Sanchez replacement scouted
by Nikola Banicek
Thomas Lemar The 21-year-old French winger Thomas Lemar is a reported transfer target for Arsenal and Tottenham, so what’s all the fuss about?
Lemar plays for AS Monaco, and is one of the shining young prospects in the team that won French Ligue 1 this season.
He joined Monaco two years ago from SM Caen for a reported fee of €4 million as a replacement for Anthony Martial.
The young French international made a remarkable 55 appearances for the club across all competitions, contributing to the club’s success with 14 goals and 17 assists.
Style of play
Although he might be one of the shortest players on the field, he’s packed with explosive pace. Combined with his dribbling abilities, this makes him particularly hard to defend against.
When allowed even the slightest space, he will use it well, making straight runs on the opposition’s goal and he often looks for the most direct and efficient way to reach the penalty box.
Strengths
Other than his pace and impressive dribbling skills, Lemar is very good at making key passes and creating chances. He has the ability to hold up the ball and wait for supporting players.
Another great strength of his is taking set-pieces and direct free kicks, and the player is very good at delivering the ball into the right areas.
As he mostly operates just in front of the penalty box, he has developed powerful and precise long shots, and doesn’t hesitate to take a chance when it arises.
Lemar is very versatile, and can be deployed on both flanks, regardless if the role is to hold back as a wide midfielder or push higher up the field as inside-forward cutting inside.
Weakness
Even though he’s only 5’57” and a little over 9st, he’s not easily pushed around and is capable of standing his ground. He should work on his physique a bit more, however.
Other than that, Lemar doesn’t have any significant weaknesses that impact on his natural position as a winger.
The future
The 21-year-old has a contract with Monaco until 2020 and is valued at €20 million by transfermarkt.com but Monaco’s asking price would be at least twice.
Lemar certainly does posses more than enough quality to fill in the void that could be left should Alexis depart and the Gunners would do a marvellous job if they could manage to get him.
He might take some adapting to a more robust game in England but it shouldn’t be a problem for the pacey winger.
Like most of the others in the current Monaco squad, Lemar has plenty of talent and can only get better with more experience and time at a bigger club like Arsenal. Or Tottenham, you know, if he’s stupid.
Lemar: Here to show the world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwm_nJ8TExc
Do Arsenal need van Dijk?
Arsenal have been linked with Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk this summer. Are they really looking for a centre-back? If so, is it the Dutchman they need?
Van Dijk is currently training alone after Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino admitted the defender wanted to leave and wasn’t in the correct psychological state to play for Southampton.
The £60m defender worth every penny
by Nikola Banicek
If Arsenal do meet the asking price of Southampton of at least £50m, they will get a towering defender who is calm and resolute on the ball and has no problem when put under pressure.
Paired up with Koscielny and possibly Mustafi, if Wenger continues to use his new 3-4-3 formation, Arsenal could have one of the best back lines in the Premier League.
At 25-years-of-age the Dutch international is reaching his peak playing years and has plenty of experience to help Arsenal make a real Premier League challenge.
Van Dijk Strengths
As one of the best centre-backs in the league, Virgil van Dijk has plenty of strengths on show. His aerial presence in the box gives Southampton a certain amount of calmness during set-pieces and at 6″23′ in height, he’s very tough to beat in the air.
Due to great positioning and reading of the play, the 25-year-old is tough opponent to beat with a dribble or with a pass. On average, he makes 1.6 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and a huge 6.6 clearances per-game.
The defender is very composed when on the ball and he’s good at keeping possession with a pass success rate of 84.6% and on average makes 48.6 passes per game.
Van Dijk Weaknesses
Virgil van Dijk doesn’t have any real weaknesses that could be pointed out, and he has adapted well to the Premier League and the style of play.
If he joins Arsenal, there will be an obvious period of adjustment to the team and to a different style of play, but the defender looks like he could play well anywhere.