Arsenal: Nabil Fekir a wildcard worthy of Arteta’s hand
By Josh Sippie
Out of the depths, Nabil Fekir has emerged as a transfer target for Arsenal all over again, and now more than ever, this is a move that makes sense.
While still at Lyon, Nabil Fekir was on the brink of becoming a superstar. He was so good and of such a high profile that it was unlikely Arsenal would be able to A. afford him or, B. convince him to join even if they could afford him, given their lack of Champions League football.
He was supposed to join Liverpool, but a failed medical caused the move to fall through on itself and, just like that Fekir essentially fell off the face of the earth and landed squarely at Real Betis. Where you’d have never expected to find him.
This year at Real Betis, Fekir’s goal production has tapered off, but that can most likely be attributed to his supporting cast. Because his individual stats are still largely standing up to the move and while down, his goal production clearly shows signs of coming back when prompted.
Enter Arsenal. Desperate to replace Mesut Ozil, though perhaps not too interested in finding someone too much like him, the Gunners could find a wild card solution in Nabil Fekir that could border on genius.
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Fekir’s monetary value has plummeted since leaving Lyon. Transfermarkt has him falling nearly £25m pounds. Meaning that if the market value is to be trusted, he could be acquired for as little as £35m, his current valuation.
Yeah, that’s worth it. Every day of the week that’s worth it. If Mikel Arteta is seriously considering spending nearly that amount on Carlos Soler, what’s to stop him from going all-in on the attack and bringing in Nabil Fekir, even from the standpoint of him being a wild card that might not be a fix-everything kind of guy?
Fekir is a goal machine, he knows how to get the job done. He knows how to put the final ball in and most of all, he’s ready for redemption. Maybe he was too high and mighty before, but having spent a year at Real Betis, I have to believe he has a better perspective on things now, and that’s a nice wholesome addition to the Gunners attacking options.
Fekir would bring a bit of pizzazz to this attack, especially if we lose our current star power. The guy is worth it, he’ll provide the goals Ozil never could.