Arsenal: Martin Keown Is Living In Neymar Dreamland

Martin Keown has stated that Arsenal should sign Neymar and N’Golo Kante. While they would be wonderful additions, the former Gooner is living in dreamland.

As the transfer window looms, fans of every club begin to dream, manufacturing scenarios in which Lionel Messi really is a viable transfer target, even for a relegation candidate in League One. Arsenal’s faithful are like every other.

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I have consistently dreamt of the prospect of seeing Antoine Griezmann joining up with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to form some super, striking force. In the summer, I was hopeful of seeing Gonzalo Higuain, Alexandre Lacazette or even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang come to the Emirates.

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Arsene Wenger was not so willing to abide my dreams.

However, it is not just hopelessly optimistic fans that hold such unrealistic hopes. Former players, men who supposedly understand the nuances and the restrictions, can differentiate between the realities and the fantasies, also hold wholly unattainable aspirations in the transfer market.

When asked who he would sign for the Gunners, former central defender Martin Keown proposed two names of similarly ambitious proportion:

"“N’Golo Kante would be one, and I would also go for Neymar. He would come in and play on the left where Iwobi is playing now. He is just off competing for the Ballon d’Or and is only going to get bigger.”"

oth are ridiculous suggestions. I was a huge proprietor of the N’Golo Kante train in the summer. His incredible ground-covering ability is perfect as the holding midfielder in Wenger’s system, complimenting the technical prowess of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla.

Similarly, Neymar would be a tremendous signing. His pace and precision, his wonderful skill on the ball and his incision with his direct dribbling make him an extremely threatening player from wide left. He would also fit into the Gunners’s system wonderfully, boasting the intelligence off the ball to excel alongside Ozil, Sanchez et al.

However, neither would really have any interest in joining Arsenal, both would cost enormous amounts, amounts that Wenger would be highly unlikely to be unprepared to pay and both would command significant wages.

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So, while fans and analysts are entitled to their dreams, living in the dreamland of Neymar and Kante is a futile existence.