Arsenal: Leon Bailey overtaking Thomas Lemar in every conceivable way

Arsenal are not likely to drop wads of cash on any one player, which is just one reason why Thomas Lemar is falling behind Leon Bailey.

Arsenal will be scrounging to pluck some talent that may be able to fill the void that Alexis Sanchez is going to leave. Thomas Lemar has long been touted as the man to have the clearest route to the Emirates. He did, after all, nearly complete a move in the summer.

But times change. And perhaps it was a blessing that the Gunners didn’t get Lemar. Not because he wouldn’t have been a fantastic acquisition, but because we would have been handcuffed to his form for years, given the massive £90m price tag attached to him.

You don’t spend that kind of money on a player if you don’t plan on giving him serious responsibility. And we all know enough about Arsenal’s financial situation to know that if that much money was spent on him, we would not be getting anyone else. He is the solution. Him and no one else.

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In steps Leon Bailey. Two years younger than Lemar, Bailey has smashed into the spotlight at Bayer Leverkusen with eight goals and four assists between the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal in only 16 appearances (11 starts).

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Compare that to Lemar’s two goals and four assists in 20 appearances across all competitions.

Now, I want to make it clear that I’m not harping on Lemar’s subpar start to the season as if it is a deal breaker. It’s not. Alexandre Lacazette had his struggles in his sophomore slump too. That doesn’t detract from his value.

It’s the price and the priority that comes with it.

Bailey does not carry that same weight with him. He may be making inroads into stardom but he hasn’t reached the point where Bayer Leverkusen would be asking for the same amount that Monaco are asking for Lemar.

With Bailey, we are getting a super sub, with upside, who can play wingback, a position we are tragically thin at. With Lemar, we are getting a super-star priced player who may not be ready for superstardom yet. We are getting a barrior that prevents us from landing other top talents (based on transfer history alone).

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That’s why Bailey is passing Lemar in terms of priority. At least in my book. Give me the guy with upside and versatility who is having a supreme season with the financial flexibility to get more.