Arsenal: Spurning Malcom move reveals Arsene Wenger’s attitude

Arsene Wenger has chosen to pursue Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang instead of Malcom. The decision reveals his and Arsenal’s attitude: win and win now.

As it became increasingly clear that Alexis Sanchez was set to leave Arsenal in the January window, with Manchester United becoming the front-runner for his signature, the perception and the priority, for the Gunners, shifted from retention to recruitment. They had abandoned their attempts to keep Sanchez; they embraced the players that they build their future around.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast here

The seeming replacement for Sanchez is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He is, after all, the player involved in a straight swap for the Chilean. The logic is fairly clear. But, in actuality, the Armenian creator is a very different player to Sanchez: one is a bursting, driving, sharp, direct dribbling attacker; the other is a prodding, probing, clever inventor.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

In reality, the Sanchez replacement is not Mkhitaryan. It is the player that Arsenal will sign next. Initially, it was thought that this player would be Malcom, a 20-year-old, Brazilian sensation playing some wonderful football in a struggling Bordeaux team. But Arsene Wenger has since dismissed such reports, stating that he does not think it will happen in this January transfer window:

"“No, I don’t think we are close to doing that. I don’t think so, no.”"

The player that is more likely to be the Sanchez successor is actually Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Borussia Dortmund striker has been at the heart of swirling reports throughout the past few days, with Ivan Gazidis reportedly arriving in Germany on Sunday afternoon to begin discussions over a deal between the two clubs.

Aubameyang is a very different type of signing to Malcom. They may both be pacy, direct attackers who can play in a variety of positions across the front line, but there is one key difference: age. While Malcom is a burgeoning, blossoming youngster with his career and his best before him, Aubameyang is right in the heart of his most prosperous period. He is a polished, complete player. Improvements will be at their minimum, but they are not really needed. He’s ready. Now. And that signals a crucial shift in philosophy.

In the NFL, teams will talk about being in ‘win-now mode. What they mean is that given the players that are currently on their roster, the age that they are, the stages in their respective careers that they are, the organisation will analyse their window of winning. Younger teams may look to the future; older teams may look towards the present.

Next: Arsenal Vs Palace: 5 things we learned

In signing Aubameyang and not Malcom, Arsenal, and Wenger, are revealing their ‘win-now’ intentions. Perhaps this is the final push from Wenger to win that ever-elusive league title. Or perhaps this is all just wishful thinking. Either way, in Aubameyang, Arsenal are prioritising the present, not the future. That is not normal.