Arsenal: Nabil Fekir the only true Alexis Sanchez replacement

Arsenal’s budget is always going to be a question-raiser, but despite all the inflation, Nabil Fekir is one of the few worth the reported price tag.

Arsenal’s transfer links are rarely believable, especially when you factor in price tags. It’s no great secret that the Gunners will almost never break the bank on inflated prices. Arsene Wenger has his personal crusade against the foolishness of the transfer market.

For instance, Thomas Lemar is nowhere near worth £90m. Not even close. Even throwing out the slow start to this year, he just isn’t worth it. That doesn’t mean he isn’t worth pursuing, my point is just that he is nowhere near his supposed value.

Steven N’Zonzi is another. £35m is way too much for what he brings to the club. a 29-year-old squad player. Honestly, he shouldn’t be costing much more than Mohamed Elneny, because he isn’t going to be giving us much more.

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But Nabil Fekir, he is different. £60m is a lot of money, no doubt. He’d break the record set by his former team mate, Alexandre Lacazette.

However, despite the high price, Fekir is worth it. Because think about it like this – Fekir can play three positions and he can play three positions well. He can play winger effectively, which we sorely need. He can play central attacking midfield, which we don’t need as sorely, but still do.

And he can play striker, which we kind of always need.

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Given these facts, he is the only true replacement for Alexis Sanchez. He can play every position the Chilean plays and he can play them equally effectively, just like the Chilean does.

If you don’t believe me, watch him. Fekir is off his rocker this year with 16 goals and four assists across all competitions. It’s his best statistical season, no doubt. But it’s not all that abnormal. Outside of his injury problem, he has been a consistent font of 20 or more goal contributions.

Now that he is hitting his prime, it absolutely makes sense that this sort of production would be here to stay. He is clearly outgrowing Ligue 1 and his next step is going to be his big one, where he establishes himself in the upper echelon of players.

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Taking that big step at Arsenal guarantees that we will get the best years out of one of the best young players in the world. That’s something to get excited about and certainly something worth spending a ton of money for.