Arsenal: Riyad Mahrez and Thomas Lemar: Premier League Vs. Potential

Arsenal are reportedly closing in on deals for both Riyad Mahrez and Thomas Lemar. The question of who would be the better signing rests on one simple crux: Premier League experience or youthful potential.

The comparison of prospective signings is a ritual that all fans must do. As hopeless, naive, unrelentingly optimistic entities, it is simply in our blood to expect the best, and then compare that to someone else’s best. In this piece, I will be doing exactly that with two wingers that have been increasingly linked with Arsenal in the past few days.

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On Wednesday morning, it broke that Arsene Wenger is growing in confidence that he will be able to secure the signature of Thomas Lemar in a £30 million. Simultaneously, it was announced that the club were also working on a deal to prize Riyad Mahrez away from Leicester City, with the suggestion that a four-year deal was set to be offered surfacing.

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Now, I am not here to question the validity of either report. I have no inside information and the rumours that have done the rounds will likely be based on much more premonition than I, as a mere blogger, am privy to. However, I cannot envisage a scenario where Arsenal sign both Mahrez and Lemar; it is one or the other.

That got my brain whirring. Seeing as both would be a similar price, play in a similar role and would enter the club with a similar stature on similar wage structures, in a straight shootout, which of the two would you rather see the Gunners sign this summer?

I believe that the answer to this question rests on one, key factor: potential vs. Premier League experience. One of these players is the more talented, with a far brighter future, a more natural gift for the game and the room to grow and to flourish in North London. The other is more ready-made. He has the experience, the understanding and the know-how to excel immediately.

Of the two, which one would you rather have? The one with the ceiling or the one with the reputation? Personally, I want Lemar. Given the state of the squad currently, adding Mahrez, especially if Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were to leave, would not be enough to suddenly inspire a genuine and sustained title challenge.

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However, that is simply personal preference. Both these players have their vices and their virtues, and it will be extremely interesting to see who Wenger chooses to pursue this summer.