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Arsenal: Riyad Mahrez better option than Thomas Lemar because of one key trait
Arsenal are seemingly inching closer to signing Riyad Mahrez, spurning the chance to add Thomas Lemar to the squad. The Leicester City winger is the better option thanks to one key trait: Premier League experience.
Signing players from abroad brings a natural risk. English football is strangely unqiue, and, as a result, it means that foreign players with little experience of the way that football is played in this country can struggle to adapt. That does not mean that all will falter early on. Alexis Sanchez was remarkable from day one for Arsenal. But rather, many will struggle to adapt.
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This difficulty in acclimatising to the Premier League does not mean that it is the highest quality league in European football either. It is not a question of quality, but one of style. La Liga may boast a greater technical skill. Serie A may have better defences. The Bundesliga may bring a physicality and athleticism that can be challenging to match.
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However, only the Premier League can claim to be a technically sound league, while also littered with stifling defences and overpowering sides that dominate through their physical gifts. It is an extremely demanding league to ply your trade, and it is why, when dipping into the transfer market, a premium is paid for players who already have experience of it.
And that is why I feel Riyad Mahrez is a better prospect than Thomas Lemar. Both players have been heavily linked with a move to North London, especially in the aftermath of a rejected £87 million bid for Kylian Mbappe, and they would suit the attacking style that Arsene Wenger requires of his teams.
They are also similar in style. The two are pacy, direct, creative wingers, who are willing to drive at opposing defenders, skip by players and create space for others thanks to the attention that they attract. They would also be similar in price, around the £40 million mark if reports are to be believed.
But it is apparent that Arsenal are edging closer towards the potential addition of Mahrez, with Wenger alluding to the possibility to signing the Leicester City winger in an interview with BEIN Sports. And that makes me extremely happy indeed.
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That is not to say that I would not welcome the addition of Lemar. He is a wonderfully gifted player with a bright future ahead of him at the tender age of just 21. But Arsenal need players who can make an instant impact from the get go, and thanks to his experience of English football, that man is Mahrez.