Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Tiemoue Bakayoko Proving History Doesn’t Sell

Arsene Wenger reportedly met with Tiemoue Bakayoko back in November to bring him to Arsenal but, lo and behold, history doesn’t always sell.

Monaco is just ripe with products that are going to be the subject of intense transfer talk this coming summer and even though Kylian Mbappe is claiming the majority of the spotlight, Tiemoue Bakayoko is right there with him. And Arsenal should want both.

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And they do. Wenger already admitted to failing to sign Mbappe last summer and now reports are coming out that Wenger has also failed to lure Bakayoko to the Emirates.

The report from France Football indicates that Arsene Wenger and Bakayoko met in a Parisian hotel to discuss the midfielders future, but apparently, they could not come to an agreement. This is in contrast to the new reports that Antonio Conte has successfully reached an agreement with Bakayoko that will see him join N’Golo Kante in a ridiculous midfield.

If all this proves to be true, then what we have here is another case of Wenger losing his magical touch. The simple reality of it all is that Arsenal has not progressed into the present day very gracefully, they are falling behind in the times, and promises of paradise and being the next great thing under Le Prof isn’t as impossible to refuse as it used to be.

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Unfortunately, luring anyone to Arsenal is going to be tough this summer, for multiple reasons. First of all, Wenger was a major drawing factor, but everyone knows he is reaching his end. And while it may appeal to some to join up and be part of Le Prof’s last hurrah, some would prefer knowing who their manager is going to be in a year.

Too many current Gunners are playing more for the manager than the club and this is another problem that has to be avoided in the future. Wenger shouldn’t be a selling point anymore. The club should be, and that is a transition we are going to have to make.

Losing Bakayoko isn’t the end of the world, but it is a painful reminder that the biggest selling point to come to Arsenal has, for the most part, expired.

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Conte had the obvious things to offer Bakayoko, as Chelsea are heading for another title, but the Gunners in far more need of a midfielder of Bakayoko’s quality than the Blues. We can only wonder what the difference in pitches was.