Arsenal: Moussa Dembele high risk high reward Alexis Sanchez replacement

Arsene Wenger is reportedly eyeing up Celtic’s Moussa Dembele as a possible replacement for Alexis Sanchez. It is an extremely high-risk strategy, but one that could bring Arsenal a great reward.

Making investments, football or otherwise, never comes without risk. They are, by nature, spending as a result of predicting what the future might hold, in the hope of benefitting from that future. As is often the case with our predictions, we get them wrong. And subsequently, our investments can be mistimed, misguided, or just miss altogether. For Arsenal, like every other club, they have felt the pain and joy from succeeding and failing in their investments.

The balance that must be struck is one of risk vs reward. Is the risk that I am committing to, whether it be monetary, or time, or energy, or emotion, worth the potential reward that I can glean? The higher risk, the higher the reward must be to make it a worthwhile venture.

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In a similar fashion, when entering into the murky waters of the transfer window, managers and executives and agents and players must weigh up the same balance, just from different perspectives. It is a balance that can be extremely difficult to find, one that has seen some flourish and others flounder.

For Arsene Wenger, he is often on the safer side of the spectrum. Spending is not his forte, and rarely does he like to commit a large investment, especially financially, to the possibilities of the future. He is hesitant and considered; measured and meticulous, always having thought about the vices and virtues of every possible outcome.

In football, the highest risk players to buy are youngsters. They are relatively unproven, unestablished, though that does not mean they will necessarily come cheap, and their developments can be volatile and unpredictable.

That is why, in searching for a possible replacement for Alexis Sanchez, it is surprising to me to read that Wenger is considering Celtic attacker Moussa Dembele.Dembele is a wonderfully gifted player, with an eye for goal, astounding athletic talents and intelligence and sharpness in the final third.

But given his cost and his lack of experience or proven success at the highest level — Scotland, meaning no disrespect, is a league well below the quality of the Premier League and many other European leagues — it is a risk that Wenger would usually veer away from.

And yet, the reward is so enticing that perhaps Wenger simply can’t help himself. Dembele has all the natural tools to blossom into a truly remarkable player. He simply needs the right environment; the patience, the time and the coaching.

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He would be an extremely high-risk candidate to replace Sanchez, commanding a substantial fee with little guarantees of success. But he also offers an extremely high-reward, one that Wenger may be willing to take the plunge for.