Arsenal: Patience the key with Thomas Lemar

Arsenal failed to sign Thomas Lemar on transfer deadline day. Arsene Wenger, though, has stated that he will make another move for the Monaco winger, with reports suggesting that a £92 million bid could be made this January. In securing his signature, patience is key.

Transfers are long and arduous processes. There are many turning cogs, all of which must fit together with one another, seamlessly rotating without any slowing or quickening, any friction or mistake. It takes just one error of judgement for the whole move to dismantle, as Arsenal have painfully experienced in the past.

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Most recently, it was Alexis Sanchez who saw his dream fall flat. With transfer deadline day inspiring the usual drama as it always does, Arsene Wenger accepted a £60 million bid for the Chilean with the caveat that he could secure a replacement before the 11 PM closing of the window.

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The man that Wenger targeted as Sanchez’s replacement was Thomas Lemar, seeing a £92 million bid accepted. However, less than 20 minutes later, it was then revealed that the deal was off, with Sanchez’s proposed sale also falling through. In the aftermath, Wenger himself admitted that it was Lemar who rejected Arsenal, perhaps over reported unhappiness that the long and draining saga could not have been concluded sooner.

As such, Sanchez stayed at the Emirates and Lemar at Monaco. And in an extensive interview with BEIN Sports during the international break, Wenger stated that he would return for Lemar in the future, such is his bullish assessment of the 21-year-old’s skills. Reports, thanks to such comments, have now surfaced that Arsenal are confident that not only can they sign Lemar, but they can do so in January, even though the winter window is notoriously more difficult to complete high-profile deals.

Although signing Lemar in January would undoubtedly be beneficial — the sooner you can sign someone, the better –, Arsenal need not chase Lemar without rhyme nor reason.

Thanks to the influence of Wenger, the attractiveness of playing for him and entrusting a young career in his coaching tutelage, even with stiff competition from across the continent, there is still reason to believe that Lemar would rather make the North London switch.

Given the complications that will undoubtedly play a part of any potential transfer, it is important that the Gunners take their time without hesitating. They cannot afford to dither and delay. But that does not mean they shouldn’t proceed with caution, being careful and considerate with their business.

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Patience, then, is key. It is something that Wenger has been too willing to show in the past, but, hopefully, he can find the right balance between ruthlessness and resistance here.