Arsenal: Henrikh Mkhitaryan disrespect founded on bum logic

Arsenal may be nearing the acquisition of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, yet there are so many speaking out against him. Their logic, however, is mightily flawed.

Arsenal are inching – and I mean inching – towards solidifying the long-overdue sale of Alexis Sanchez. According to numerous sources, including the Telegraph, the only thing that remains is to agree on what is going the other way, whether that be cash, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, or a combination of the two.

In the midst of it all, there is a tremendous amount of doubt circulating around the prospect of Mkhitaryan coming to Arsenal, and I felt it necessary to dissect that doubt, because it is based on some flimsy logic.

First of all, I am not totally in love with the idea of Mkhitaryan coming to Arsenal. Not because of any of the logic I am about to bash, but because he is 28 years old and I want this team to build around a younger core. Like Malcom.

That said, Mkhitaryan is a far better option than he is getting credit for. He is being criticized for disappearing at Manchester United, but you have to bear in mind that this is Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. As countless others have pointed out, Mourinho couldn’t get the best out of Kevin De Bruyne or Mo Salah either. He is even struggling to figure out how best to use Anthony Martial.

It is no indication of Mkhitaryan’s quality. Mourinho is that kind of manager that knows what he wants and knows what he doesn’t and isn’t exactly gung-ho to challenge those distinctions.

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Then there is Ian Wright. Ian Wright said that the Gunners “weren’t even after” Mkhitaryan, but were rather “handed him.” This would be a valid concern, if it were true. The Gunners were after Mkhitaryan before he went to United and it looked for awhile like they were going to snag him. Everyone would have been better off if they’d have been able to.

They may not have “been after him” lately because, until it became clear that Alexis Sanchez was going to be sold, they weren’t really after anyone. Thomas Lemar, sure, because he was available. But no other names had breakthroughs attached.

Arsenal weren’t after Malcom either, not until Alexis was near being sold.

Next: Top 3 Alexis Sanchez Replacements

Mkhitaryan is a quality player who was flirting with world class when he left Dortmund. It went terribly from there under Mourinho, as it often can under Mourinho, but that doesn’t disqualify him from regaining the form that he is undoubtedly dying to find again.

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