Competing in Europa League is not really an achievement for a top Premier League outfit like Arsenal, especially when they have been featuring in the prestigious Champions League competition for almost the past two decades. The Gunners are sweating over the excessive amount of games, congested fixture list and are struggling to keep hold of their top performers who have rejected new contract deals. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, two of the Gunners’ biggest names, will be available on a Bosman transfer next summer and Arsene Wenger has already started looking for apt replacements.
Arsenal lost versatile Englishman Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool and their desperateness to bring in a new wide player got exposed when they submitted a gigantic £92m bid for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar. Although the Ligue1 champions accepted the offer, the young French sensation rejected a deadline day move and opted to continue for his current outfit.
Arsenal might not have been able to lure the Frenchman, but they are reportedly optimistic about his fellow countryman, Anthony Martial who is enjoying an impressive campaign for Manchester United. The Frenchman joined Manchester United in 2015 for a fee of £36m (which could rise up to £58m). Wenger, the Gunners’ boss, is looking for a resource who can match the profile of Chilean superstar Alexis Sanchez and has sighted the 21-year-old Frenchman who expressed his annoyance a few months back for not having enough game-time under Jose Mourinho. Like Sanchez, Martial is prolific in front of goal, capable of playing on the wings and also efficient enough to feature in a central attacking role.
The former Monaco teenager joined the Red Devils back in 2015 and had a bright inception of his Premier League career, scoring against bitter rivals Liverpool on his debut. He went on to play 49 times during the 2015-16 season and netted 17 goals across all competitions under Louis Van Gaal.
Martial, however, failed to earn new boss Mourinho’s belief and struggled to achieve enough minutes after losing out on his place to teenager Marcus Rashford. He was even considering a summer switch for regular game-time ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup but he looks settled this term after having a lot of first-team appearances (he is being rotated with Rashford), where the Frenchman has already netted 5 goals in 9 appearances altogether.
The French international attacker, however, still needs certainty over his playing time and Arsenal will be able to offer him the same as he’d be a like-for-like replacement for contract rebel Alexis Sanchez. Martial is strong, pacy, one of the best dribblers of the game, holds a great vision and is known for his scoring attributes. He, predominantly a striker, is now regularly being explored on the left wing and the attacker has delivered some stellar performances from that wide role.
Arsenal might allow Ozil to leave in the summer, who is destined to reunite with his former boss Mourinho at the Theatre of Dreams. Wenger should include the German international in a swap deal in order to acquire Anthony Martial before letting Alexis Sanchez leave in the winter transfer window.
Martial is a huge prospect and having him in the squad will help Arsenal forget Sanchez’s egress to some extent as they will be able to build a promising team for a longer run.