Arsenal: Riyad Mahrez avenue should certainly be explored

With a bid for Lemar being rejected and Sanchez likely to leave the club. Arsenal could do a lot worse than pursue the talents of Riyad Mahrez.

Arsenal’s transfer needs at the start of the summer were well-documented. A new, young left back was required, with a world class striker and a creative winger were also high on the list. With Sead Kolasinac providing the left back deal and the Alexandre Lacazette deal nearing completion. It looks like the last remaining need is a winger.

Thomas Lemar from Monaco looked like Arsene Wenger’s primary target. But a rejected bid of £31m and an insistence by Monaco that he is not for sale may prevent this signing. It seems like only a fee north of £50m pounds would entice Monaco enough to sell.

With Wenger already smashing the club’s transfer record to sign Lacazette. It seems unlikely he would do so again for Lemar.

As a result, other wingers have to be sought after. Without the lure of Champions League football and a lack of wingers on the market, this may be difficult. One winger that looks to be on the move and would be interested in the Gunners, it seems, is Riyad Mahrez.

After bursting onto the scene during Leicester’s title triumph and being crowned best player in the country that year, his form certainly dipped last season. Though a lot of that was associated with Leicester’s own poor showings throughout the season.

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The Algerian winger still showed enough to suggest he could be a good signing for Arsenal. He looked at home on the big stage in the Champions League and regained some prominence near the end of the season.

10 goals and 5 assists is not a shabby return by any stretch of the imagination. And he would certainly improve on those numbers with more of the ball and more chances at Arsenal. Mahrez would be right at home with Wenger’s style of play and would thrive with the freedom provided by the new formation.

While Mahrez may be slighted immediately if he is seen as an Alexis Sanchez replacement. He wouldn’t be the worst replacement by any means. The 3-4-2-1 formation placed less emphasis on Alexis compared to earlier on in the season anyway.

With the wing backs providing extra attacking dimension, Ramsey’s surging runs and Lacazette’s pace and finishing ability are a menacing combination. The attack looks a lot less reliant on Alexis’s talents. Mahrez can’t provide the energy or finishing ability that Sanchez can but would complement Ozil and Lacazette very well and the three up top would look dangerous.

With a price of around £30m being quoted for Mahrez, his signing wouldn’t substantially harm the club’s purse strings. And with Alexis’s sale, the club could even use some of his transfer fee to fund more reinforcements.

Alexis’s departure scares me and indicates a step back. But should Wenger sign Lacazette, Mahrez and maybe even another attacker like Jean Michael Seri from Nice, then the summer would be pretty impressive and we could look at next season with some promise.

Next: Arsenal's 30 Best Transfers Of Past 30 Years

Let’s hope Lacazette’s announcement comes soon so we can focus on other targets. Riyad Mahrez certainly wouldn’t be a bad place to start…

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