Arsenal Need To Flex Muscle With Mahrez Bid

Arsenal need to flex their big club muscle and pry Riyad Mahrez away from defending champion’s Leicester City. This move would not only strengthen the squad but raise the Gunners’ cache as well.

After kicking off the summer with a high profile move for Swiss powerhouse Granit Xhaka, Arsenal’s transfer activity has come to a standstill. The Gunner’s missed their target when going after Leicester City front man Jamie Vardy. The failed maneuver was a shrewd tactic by manager Arsene Wenger and although it fell through, it showed that the North London club would at least remain active in the transfer market. However, since that ugly escapade Arsenal have remained very quiet besides a few stories of little gravitas.

Arsene Wenger seems to be unfazed by the less than positive perception of the club at the moment. Arsenal are a big club, there is no doubt about that. The Gunners are one of the best teams in Europe but time after time and year after year, the club seems to shy away from making the moves that a truly big club would consistently go for.

While Jose Mourinho unveiled Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhtyarian, Arsene Wenger polished off a deal for Japanese youngster Takuma Asano. There is nothing wrong with scouting players for the future and I hope Asano will prove to be a good investment. But Wenger needs to understand context better than that.

The fan base has clearly been agitated for some time now, and rather than making the acquisition of a senior impact player his priority, Wenger chose to go after the type of transfer that has predominantly characterized his tenure: tepid, confusing and cheap.

That is why Arsenal needs to prove that they are a powerful club with a mindset fixated on tangible progress. A swoop for Leciester City’s star player Riyad Mahrez would do exactly that. Arsenal has already been rebuffed by one Leicester superstar, but a lot has changed since Jaime Vardy turned down a switch to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal’s bitter rival Chelsea has completed a big money move for Leicester’s midfield maestro N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence with fine displays for the foxes and the French national team. While Arsenal don’t need another midfielder at the moment, you can’t help but feel like the Gunners missed out on yet another fantastic transfer option.

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Arsenal must take a cue from Chelsea and exercise some ruthlessness and decisiveness in the transfer market. Pipping one of the champion’s star players is a maneuver that is emblematic of a big club hungry for a resurgence. Arsenal need to approach their business in the same way and pounce on Mahrez while the Foxes are reeling from the Kante departure.

Kante realizes that his stock will never be higher than it is right now, and the chances of Leicester replicating their success from last season are incredibly slim.

Mahrez must be seeing the same thing. After turning down a contract extension with Leicester City, it is obvious that Mahrez is not willing to cement his future at King Power Stadium. Arsenal must act like a big club and flex their muscle. The Gunners have already opened talks with the former champs once this summer and it was reported the the two teams were in agreement. The hesitation only stemmed from the player.

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Therefore it can be believed that Leicester will be willing to at least negotiate with Arsenal. There are no untouchables on the Leicester squad, that much is clear. What Arsneal and Arsene Wenger need to do is make a worthwhile bid for the player. Offer Mahrez wages that Leicester couldn’t possibly match and prove to the fans and detractors that Arsenal are serious about winning.

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