Arsenal waving the white flag with Riyad Mahrez transfer

Arsenal were pushed off of Thomas Lemar and immediately turned to Riyad Mahrez, which is the same thing as preemptively admitting defeat.

With the transfer window now officially open, moves can happen any second and with Arsenal, you never know what to expect.

The main stage show is following the transfer sage of Alexandre Lacazette, who was supposed to be wrapped up over the weekend, then on Monday, then, well TBD. However, with that move, there aren’t many side stories. It’s Lacazette or not. I think we have all accepted that Kylian Mbappe isn’t going to happen and, correct me if I’m wrong (I’m not) but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was apparently never even on the table.

But off of the main stage, over on the side stage, is Arsenal’s pursuit for a winger/attacking midfielder. Essentially, what will end up being Alexis Sanchez’s replacement when he inevitably leaves (let’s try a dose of reverse psychology).

Thomas Lemar is the front runner by a long shot. There should be no doubt about it. This guy is something special, he is young and I’m almost more excited about the prospect of him at Arsenal than I am about Mbappe, because Mbappe would fly away to Real Madrid eventually anyway.

There was a reported bid for Lemar, a respectable £31m, but of course it was turned down. Because when you really get down to it, Lemar is worth far more than that.

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Literally the next day, reports pop up that Riyad Mahrez is set to complete a move to North London. I’m sorry, Mahrez is cool and all, and I’m sure he has a lot to prove, but Lemar is the crème de la crème of this position and it feels like Wenger is waving the white flag just two days into the transfer window. That’s what signing Mahrez is. It’s a capitulation.

My beef with Mahrez is simple. He had half a season of Premier League glory and, since that time, he hasn’t figured it out. Maybe he does figure it out at Arsenal, I’ll certainly be cheering him on. But the excitement is so much greater around Lemar.

Now, if August rolls around and you still can’t agree with Monaco (just pay them, damnit) over Lemar, then sure, go with your second option. But he is so clearly a second option because of how strongly the Gunners went after Lemar from the onset. You can’t just submit a bid so early, announcing that you want the guy, then turn to someone else after one rejection.

That’s, in a word, pathetic. And I truly hope that isn’t what is actually happening here. Because Champions League or not, Arsenal is a big club, one of the biggest in the world, and it looks so poor to settle three days into the transfer window because you got told no.

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Let me step back from my angry tone and admit that rumors are pesky and this may not be what is happening. But if the situation does come to pass that Mahrez is locked up as quickly as they say, then don’t expect much positivity from me. Lemar is the goal.

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