Arsenal: Juan Cuadrado irrelevant next to Thomas Lemar

Arsenal are clearly trying to prepare for an Alexis Sanchez exit, but Juan Cuadrado doesn’t do the trick that Thomas Lemar would.

Arsenal look resigned to lose Alexis Sanchez, if not this summer then absolutely next summer, and their interest in the transfer market is only reinforcing that. Reports are indicating that the Gunners are yet again reaching out to Juventus over the availability of Colombian speedster Juan Cuadrado in the wake of the Thomas Lemar bid going awry.

Cuadrado would cost a fraction of what Lemar would, but that’s because Cuadrado has a fraction of the sustainability that Lemar has.

Don’t get me wrong, Cuadrado is a quality player, but he is already 29 years old and his production has never reached the levels that Lemar’s has. His best year was back in 2013/14 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists.

He’s just not comparable to Lemar at this point, let alone to Alexis. He’s a technical wizard, proficient in dribbling and pacey as can be, but his creation numbers have never been anything to brag about, nor his goal production.

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I always like to remind myself that Arsene Wenger said money is not an obstacle. If that is the case, then surely the smarter, safer, more beneficial option is to up the ante, pay the price for Lemar and not settle for someone like Cuadrado, who is nothing more than a temporary leak plug. He is past his prime.

On the contrary, Lemar isn’t even close to his prime and he is already producing world class numbers. To have someone that can create just as effectively as he can put the ball in the back of the net himself is a gift that keeps on giving. That’s what Wenger has tried to mold Mesut Ozil into but the results are still pending.

That is what Alexis Sanchez currently is and what he will, in the end, need to be replaced with. Not a technical wizard who can dribble. That covers about 10% of what Alexis is. And besides, Lemar is no slouch in the technical department, he completed 1.7 dribbles a game last season. That’s nothing to shirk at.

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If Monaco want £50m for the young man’s services, then so what? Pay it. Manchester City paid £43m for Bernardo Silva and guess what? Lemar is better. And younger. So it only makes sense they’d have to pay a higher price tag for a better product. That’s just business.

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