Arsenal: Kylian Mbappe transfer saga mirroring Nicholas Anelka

Arsenal’s pursuit of Kylian Mbappe may be more serious than it originally seemed, but there are some red flags popping up a bit prematurely.

Arsenal has been feverishly pursuing Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette, both of whom could feasibly be that final piece of the puzzle. Mbappe’s sage in particular has led to rumored bids over £100m coming in from the normally stingy Gunner’s side.

That’s all well and good, and obviously landing the most exciting teenager in the world would be a coup of epic proportions, but there are some major red flags popping up in the process of this entire epic.

A family member of Mbappe recently commented about just how much the young Frenchman would love to work with Arsene Wenger. Le Prof’s reputation as a player developer precedes him, and it has lead to moves for other players, such as Hector Bellerin.

But as we have learned with Bellerin, there are certain drawbacks to this “I’m doing it for Arsene Wenger” mindset. That being that as soon as Wenger leaves, which is quickly approaching, the glue that holds these players in place is gone. If they were never doing it for the club, then what is keeping them at the club when he leaves? As we are soon to find out when Wenger does leave and Bellerin almost undoubtedly exits for Barcelona – nothing.

Maybe I’m just speaking for myself here, but I’m not too keen on a ‘rental’ per say, of Mbappe. Nicholas Anelka did the exact same thing. It seemed like such a massive coup, but if the objective all along was to go somewhere else, then how much are we really getting out of him? Especially if he takes some time to acclimate, which I imagine it would.

Reports are adding to this clamor, suggesting that Mbappe would use Arsenal as a ‘stepping stone’ to eventually land at Real Madrid. Now, on the bright side, the Gunners would be able to reap in the benefits of this kid before selling him for a massive transfer fee.

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But if we are already spending £100m+ to land him, how much more are we really going to sell him for? I figure the profit would be negligible. We may even have to take a loss if Mbappe doesn’t pan out, doesn’t hit the immeasurable heights we are pegging for or can’t stay healthy.

So then we have to ask ourselves if we really are okay with a rental. Wenger can’t stay for that much longer. It just doesn’t seem possible. This contract may be his last, meaning we would have two years to enjoy the fruits of Mbappe’s labor before we sell him off. Something about that just rubs me the wrong way.

Of course, by then Donyell Malen will be a stalwart, who’s all in with the Gunners, so maybe I’m just overreacting. And there is always that possibility that we win the Premier League with Mbappe next year, then the Champions League in Wenger’s last year, then the earth can finally die in peace, or maybe, at the very least, if the earth survives, Mbappe will be convinced to stay.

Next: Arsenal's Potential 2017/18 Starting XI Without Ozil, Alexis

Who knows. It’s a long shot just to land him, so let’s worry about the Anelka parallels when we get there.

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