Arsenal: Thomas Lemar confirmation guarantees future as Gunner

Arsenal may have lost out on Thomas Lemar this summer, but Arsene Wenger’s confirmation has essentially guaranteed that he will be a Gunner.

Arsenal’s transfer window, taking the whole thing into consideration, was a solid one that ended on the sourest of notes. Missing out on Thomas Lemar when we could have had him all along was frustrating and, for lack of a better description, “typical Arsenal.”

It remains to be seen how Alexis Sanchez will handle himself, despite Arsene Wenger‘s continued claims that he will be at 100%.

And now, it’s time to start talking 2018 transfer rumors, because it’s just never too early to get back into the swing of things.

Wenger has spoken very openly about Thomas Lemar. He admitted that he was interested in him back in June and since then, it has been clear who his top target is. When Monaco’s guard was supposedly lowered on deadline day, he went after it before being told by Lemar that he wanted to stay at Monaco.

But now Wenger has had something else to say about the Frenchman (via SkySports): “Yes, we’ll come back in for him.”

It’s not very often that Wenger is this candid about a transfer. In fact, I can’t ever recall a time where he has said something like this and quite frankly, all it does is fill me with an almost 100% belief that he will be a Gunner. If not in January then next summer.

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My reasoning is simple. Players have rejected Arsene Wenger before. Not many, but they’re there. After that, Wenger goes silent about them and likely never pursues them again.

Not Lemar. And not just that, but the main thing that I said was missing in that last minute offer was a bit of Wenger negotiation. Give Wenger six months or a year of sweet talking Lemar and he will be swooning.

Think of who we have signed lately and how it has happened. Mesut Ozil called up Wenger to come to Arsenal after it being established that Wenger wanted him. Granit Xhaka wasn’t going to move in 2015, but Wenger spoke with him all year and when 2016 came around, he was guaranteed paradise.

Sead Kolasinac was pegged from the previous summer too and was locked up by March.

Then there was Alexandre Lacazette, who, after being pursued by Arsenal for years, said that he only wanted Champions League. A stance that didn’t last long, as Wenger swayed him to the Emirates (and proceeded to bench him, but I digress).

Lemar is a special case. He has pulled Wenger’s determination out into the open and that means that his future is sealed. He is going to leave Monaco eventually, that much is assured. But at this point, how can he go anywhere else but Arsenal?

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You know what that means? Ladies and gentlemen, I am putting the Pain in the Arsenal stamp of approval on this transfer. As a reminder, I have only done this one other time, and I did it in March of 2015 with Granit Xhaka. Lemar will be a Gunner.

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