Arsenal: Just When Riyad Mahrez Was Looking Plausible

Arsenal were finally closing in on a potential signing to get excited about and just like that, he is gone. All following Leicester City dropping a price tag.

I’m at that same point that I get to every single summer. All these guys that I didn’t necessarily support Arsenal signing are the only guys left, and I just want to see Wenger make a positive declaration by signing a big name.

Riyad Mahrez would have accomplished that task masterfully. I was not too high on signing him, but given the disappointing transfer window we’ve had following Xhaka, I’ve reconsidered. A Premier League Champion out wide alongside Alexis and Mesut Ozil? That is something I can get excited about.

The rumors were picking up hard and fast – yesterday. Myself and a couple other Pain in the Arsenal writers covered the potential move in depth, from it’s implications to it’s positives and negatives. Surely we wouldn’t be defied by Leicester City again.

Well, today, Leicester City dropped the price tag on Riyad Mahrez, and I could do nothing but laugh.

£45m they want for their star man. I can’t even be mad. He is definitely worth that much to them and they are taking that ‘big team mentality’ by slapping an unattainable price tag on someone they don’t want to sell.

Arsenal will never pay that. Ever. Wenger wouldn’t spend that much on a striker, so spending it on a winger is just comical.

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Mahrez was the last big time, senior team player that Arsenal were linked to. At the start of the summer, it looked like a race between Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mahrez, but both have now been made unreachable. Shame, that.

So yet again, we are left right back where we started. It’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world. Arsenal does have a surplus of wingers, most of whom are young, exciting prospects that could make the world of difference with a good year to make a claim at the role.

Naturally it will be Alex Iwobi that takes the lead at the start of the season. Seeing as how he has been blocked from the Olympics, it’s pretty clear what Wenger’s intentions are. He has handed the role to Iwobi and barring some unbeatable deal, that isn’t going to change.

I don’t want to sound like a party pooper, but Riyad Mahrez for £45m is not an unbeatable deal.

Next: 5 Defensive Players That Could Leave

It’s all good, let’s focus on the positions that we actually do need, like striker and defense.

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