French sensation Thomas Lemar broke into the big stage of football after a fantastic last season at Monaco. The left-footed attacking midfielder, who can also play as a winger, scored 13 goals and created 14 more in 52 appearances last season. The French winger, who was a star player in the free-flowing Monaco team last year, created 106 chances alone for the Ligue 1 champions.
According to reports, Lemar was very close to leaving Monaco this summer. Lemar was close to a move to England, according to Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev. He confirmed Arsenal had come really close to sealing a deal for the Frenchman.
With Alexis Sanchez set to leave for Manchester City, Arsenal looked to bring in another winger to replace the Chilean. A bid for £92m was made for Lemar. However, the deal that began in the eleventh hour was scrapped by Monaco and subsequently, Arsenal refused to let go of Alexis without signing a replacement.
With a move for Lemar failing and Sanchez yet to sign a contract extension, Wenger will have to be cautious and shortlist a few possible candidates to replace the Chilean winger. Here is a look at the feasible options for the Gunners.
Nabil Fekir
Landing someone of Fekir’s potential would be a tempting offer for Wenger.
Fekir has ruled himself out of a possible move to French giants PSG, suggesting that Lyon is the only club he will play for in France and if he were to move, it would be to England or Spain, and to a club where they focus on playing beautiful football rather than duelling for the ball.
With Alexandre Lacazette moving to the Emirates this summer and enjoying a bright start to his Arsenal career, the French forward could be pivotal in further biasing matters for Fekir if he were to come to England.
Riyad Mahrez
Mahrez is reportedly keen on a move to The Emirates and if Sanchez leaves, the onus of attacking football from the wings is likely to fall on him. He will directly walk into the side that will need some desperate creativity from the wings in the absence of Alexis and Mahrez’s sleek style of dribbling football and prior experience of being the best in the league will make the 2015-16 PFA Player of the Year, a valuable addition to the team.
Malcom
20-year-old Brazilian winger, Malcom is a versatile winger who can play as a forward as well. He moved to France in 2016 and has since gone on to impress many people around Europe. Malcom is off to a very impressive start this season and has already scored 5 Ligue 1 goals and set up another 5 at Bordeaux. Malcom’s transfer would be an interesting one, especially if Wenger wants the winger to replace Alexis Sanchez.
Malcom has impressed everyone so far but he is still untested in the big waters. He is yet to play for a major European club on a daily basis as a first-team regular. However, Malcom, at 20, has time on his side and if Wenger does bring him in, he will hope that the winger can go on to make it big and live up to his potential.
