Emery’s first attack on Tottenham – Why Arsenal should hijack Spurs’ move for £65,000-a-week PL star

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are leading the chase for Manchester United outcast Anthony Martial.

Anthony Martial fell down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho this season and made a second-half substitute appearance in Manchester United’s FA Cup defeat to Chelsea last weekend.

The £65,000-a-week Frenchman joined United in 2015 and proved his talent on his debut, with a sensational goal against Liverpool.

However, since then, the 22-year-old has shown his talent in bits and pieces and following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in January from Arsenal, Martial has looked out of form and uninspiring in the attack.

Tottenham are planning to sign Martial as they need a forward to reduce the burden from the shoulders of their talismanic striker, Harry Kane. However, Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal are also believed to be interested in Martial, whose future at United is up in the air.

There is a big case as to why Arsenal should rival Tottenham to sign Martial from United. The 22-year-old is one of Europe’s top young attacking players on his day. He may have been inconsistent at United but there is no doubting his talent and dribbling skills with which he has sent defenders packing in the Premier League.

Unai Emery would relish having Martial at Arsenal. The Frenchman could reach his top potential under the right manager and at the moment, Mourinho doesn’t seem to be the right man to extract the best out of the Frenchman.

The Gunners have a series of high-profile attackers but lack a player with exquisite dribbling abilities, pace and unpredictability. Martial seems like an ideal Arsenal player with a swagger on the ball.

Sanchez’s arrival at United has seen Martial either warm the benches or play out of position. Also, there is great competition in the United squad, with the likes of Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard all vying with Martial for only one or two starting roles.

The French international thrives on the left-wing and his pace coupled with trickery would give the Gunners one of the most formidable frontlines in world football.

Barring Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the north London outfit are deprived of quality in the wide attacking areas and Martial would be the ideal addition to their squad in the summer.

Martial can play out wide or up front and would be a clear upgrade on players like Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi, who could find limited game time under Emery.

Not only is Martial an outstanding talent but he is also improving. At 22, the Frenchman only has more room to blossom.

Emery has a task at hand and it is to rebuild the Arsenal squad. The Gunners are not short of funds for sure and if Martial is indeed available this summer, Arsenal should pay whatever it takes to bring him to the Emirates.