Arsenal: Dimitri Payet Will Fall In Same Category As Jamie Vardy

Arsenal let Dimitri Payet pass to Marseilles for a pretty cheap rate at £25m, but the Gunners were smart to pass, as he will join Jamie Vardy in the ‘phew’ category.

Arsenal are very rarely as transparent in their transfer business as they were in their pursuit of Jamie Vardy. After winning the title almost inexplicably with Leicester City, he was a hot commodity and his speed and get-behind ability was coveted in North London.

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Ultimately, he chose to stay with the Foxes in because he had ‘unfinished business’ which apparently means helping them dance away from relegation.

This Premier League season, he has registered just five goals and two assists in 1400 minutes. Compare that to Lucas Perez, who has played a fraction of the time and raked in seven goals and fives assists.

It’s a comparison I’m sure everyone has heard, but wow, we dodged a bullet there. Vardy would not have cut it here at Arsenal.

Likewise, I feel the same about Riyad Mahrez, who is finding this season rather bothersome as well.

A lot of Gooners were calling on Wenger to capitalize on the antsy pants of Dimitri Payet, who wanted to get out of West Ham like the plague was rolling through. He forced his own exit from the hammers and returned to France to play for Marseilles for a fairly cheap rate of £25m.

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Some may consider this an opportunity lost, but I can see Payet falling into the same category as Vardy. The ‘phew’ category, as it will now be referred to.

The simple fact of the matter is that Payet would not have provided what the Gunners already have. It’s a similar argument that I used in shooting down the Karim Benzema rumors, only I feel even more confident asserting them about Payet.

He would not stand for getting benched for Iwobi or the Ox, probably drawing on his seniority as the primary reason. It would have created rifts, which effect everyone, and in the end, his numbers would have paled.

It will be interesting to see how his numbers shape up in Ligue 1. He had a massive final year in Marseille before coming to West Ham. That year, he registered seven goals and a whopping 16 assists.

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You’d think he could carry right where he left off, but again, I’m not entirely sold. Payet had a rough ride in London and that may carry over into France. But that’s just my speculation on the matter.