Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: Thomas Lemar not worth £92m but that’s not the point

By Josh Sippie

MONACO - SEPTEMBER 27: Thomas Lemar (R) of AS Monaco FC is challenged by Lars Bender of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between AS Monaco FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Louis II Stadium on September 27, 2016 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
MONACO - SEPTEMBER 27: Thomas Lemar (R) of AS Monaco FC is challenged by Lars Bender of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between AS Monaco FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Louis II Stadium on September 27, 2016 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal’s late £92m bid for Thomas Lemar is rightfully being scrutinized, but the price is the last thing that should be under the microscope.

Whether this deal goes through or not, Arsenal have bid a Premier League record £92m (according to SkySports) for Thomas Lemar. This coming just a day after it was revealed that the Gunners remarkably had no money, despite being ranked in the top 10 richest clubs in the world.

Related Story: 3 Snap Conclusions From Thomas Lemar Bid

Regardless, this massive bid has reportedly been accepted by Monaco, and the immediate reaction was obviously one of joviality over the idea of someone we had pursued all summer finally making it to the cub (of course, the deal is all over the place, as we don’t know what will happen, but for now, we know the bid did happen, and that’s what I’m on about).

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The other reaction was one of “why are we paying that much, he isn’t worth that,” which is a reaction that wholly baffles me.

The whole idea of this transfer window, or at least what it became, was getting rid of the people that didn’t want to be here. That included Alexis Sanchez, who Arsene Wenger didn’t want to sell unless he found a proper replacement.

Well, the problem there is that there isn’t really a proper replacement for Alexis, so the best they can do is precisely that, the best they can do. And in Wenger’s mind, Thomas Lemar is the best they can do. Which isn’t exactly bad. He had a massive break out year for Monaco, he’s damn young and has a world of excellence to grow into.

As I sit here, staring at the “Thomas Lemar move now highly unlikely” all I can do is shake my head, but my point remains the same – it’s not about the price that we spend on the players. It never has been. Sead Kolasinac was free and he’s going to be a world beater.

Next: 3 Winners And Losers From Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Exit

That said, if the Gunners really did pull out of the deal because six whole hours wasn’t sufficient time to get it done, then Lord help us.

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