Thomas Lemar dearly slipped out of Arsenal’s hands this summer, but Arsene Wenger is hopeful that he can rope in his compatriot come the beginning of next year.
According to reports in The Sun, a deal has already been agreed between Monaco and Arsenal, albeit only in principle.
The agreement will see Thomas Lemar earn £250,000-a-week on a five-year contract as the Gunners are set to relaunch a staggering £92 million bid in January.
Lemar is rumored to have snubbed Arsenal despite their efforts to sign him all summer while some sources believe that the deal did not come to fruition due to the player’s absence during the International break.
But when Arsene Wenger was asked about Lemar, he was confident that the 21-year old’s signature would be up for grabs again in January. “I think he’s a player who has an enormous availability,” the Arsenal boss said.
Arsenal were in quite a mess at the end of August after suffering an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, who were also in the race to sign Lemar.
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Alexis Sanchez would leave the club for Manchester City, but the failure of that deal coming through could have been another reason why Lemar didn’t land up at the Emirates this summer.
However, since Sanchez has made his intentions of leaving the club very clear, Arsenal could find themselves in a soup should they fail to replace the Chilean.
While many believe Lemar could be a perfect replacement, they forget the single most important virtue missing in Arsenal’s dressing room – and one that is a quintessential element in a champion team – leadership.
Lemar’s brimming potential, youthful exuberance and versatility to play in any attacking position is undoubtedly something that Arsenal could benefit from, especially after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s departure to Liverpool. But, filling Sanchez’s shoes will be a tall ask for the youngster.
Along with Arsenal and Liverpool, there is another English club looking to snap up the winger’s signature – Manchester United. Jose Mourinho feels that his side is still a winger short, and the Portuguese chief is already preparing a big money bid for Lemar for the next transfer window.
By the looks of it, Arsenal will probably be most desperate to sign Thomas Lemar, but where the player ends up remains to be seen.
