Arsenal: Time to double-dip on Henrikh Mkhitaryan raid

Arsenal have already raided Manchester United for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It might be time to double-dip and make another swoop for a United star, this time, Anthony Martial.

The departure of Alexis Sanchez was always going to come. Even when Arsenal passed up the chance to sell him on deadline day last summer amid fears that they would not be able to sign a suitable replacement before the 11 PM deadline, it was clear that the Chilean would be leaving the club at some point.

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The only question that surrounded his impending exit was when and for how much. Would it come at the end of the year when his contract expired? Would the Gunners be spurred into selling him beforehand in the January window to at least recoup some last-minute value?

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As we all know, the club chose the latter avenue. And, actually, they did pretty well to eek out as much value as possible for a player that would have undoubtedly gone for £60 million plus if he was under contract for the long-term. The straight swap with Manchester United for Henrikh Mkhitaryan was a fascinating decision. It felt like United were raiding Arsenal. Six months later, it feels like it’s the other way round.

And now, as the squad is remade under new management, it may be sensible to double-dip on an unsettled United star. Mkhitaryan was not happy under Jose Mourinho. He did not suit his style. He wasn’t receiving the minutes that he felt he deserved. He simply did not fit. But in north London, he is beginning to flourish, largely because he is in a team that perfectly accentuates his abilities. The very same could happen with another disillusioned United attacker, Anthony Martial.

The attacker was seen leaving Old Trafford hours before kick off on Sunday when he was ruled out of the match with a late injury suffered while warming up. This is just the latest incident that suggests he is not happy with his role at the club.

Mourinho has been hesitant to entrust significant minutes to Martial, often choosing Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and even previously-banished Juan Mata ahead of him. He also only has one year remaining on his contract, with a year’s option that could be taken up by United, and has rejected a new five-year deal, with reports claiming that he has told the club that he wants to leave. And there have been growing rumours that Martial wants to leave this summer as he is concerned about his development given his limited playing time.

This, for me, seems like the perfect opportunity for Arsenal to again raid a domestic rival for a seemingly unwanted player who could bloom in their system. Joining the creative minds of Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan, Martial could really explode as a goal-scoring winger in this team, something that would be a nice addition to this squad.

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And the best thing about Martial? He’s still only 22 years old. It feels as though he is a lot older than he is because United signed him so young. He still has room to grow. I would love to see that growth in north London.