Kylian Mbappe could transform Arsenal
It won’t be wrong to treat Arsenal’s reported £120m offer for Kylian Mbappe as their valedictory wave to mediocrity, to stubbornness and to their era of parsimony. For once, Arsene Wenger has let his traditional, saintly self go to enter the modern football’s preached dark-arts world and in some style. Arsenal are finally showing off their much-vaunted treasury, which has thankfully found its way out of Stan Kroenke’s gluttonous pockets and into the French boss’ cautious hands. It’s a wonderful time to be alive for any Arsenal fan around the world.
All that the Gooners have craved for is a galactico signing of their own, someone they can sing the morceaus of, someone they can gasconade of. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez undoubtedly are their superstar men and they’ll continue to be if they stay, but there’s nothing quite like a world-record arrival that threatens to eclipse any move that a title rival makes, giving the kind of lift that the Gunners have badly missed in the gone by times.
For a moment, let’s assume Arsenal have signed Kylian Mbappe for anything in excess of £100m. What eventuates will be a ramification for the other contenders, a statement to prospective targets and a natural advantage for Arsenal themselves even before they have begun the next season – it’s not very often that we say that.
Some people may still have a few doubts loitering around their worried Gooner minds, which is completely understandable when your club is clobbering the wage structure and the bank for a player who hasn’t even turned 20; however, 26 goals and 14 assists is something. Six UEFA Champions League at an age of 18 is something; scoring against Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City in your first European adventure is something.
Even if you are someone who doesn’t quite go for numbers over the ability or the impact a player can have, his show against Juventus in particular was a typical demonstration of what he is: Lightning quick, powerful, clinical and ebullient. When most of his teammates went missing in Turin, he turned up, running past defenders, decisive on the ball and full of unusual effort.
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Isn’t that what Arsene Wenger’s side have never really had up top since the days of Thierry Henry? His was the signing that defined an era for Arsenal and Kylian Mbappe’s has a similar potential, so it’s only fair that you compare him to Henry, even if it’s a bit premature. The King of Highbury himself approved of the, well, possible King of The Emirates.
“I don’t like comparing players. Mbappe has to become Mbappe. And that’s all,” Henry told French TV channel Canal Plus.
“But my word, he is good. Ooh la la. I met him, and he gave me the impression that he has a good head on his shoulders. l really like watching him play. He thinks.
“There’s a thing that annoys me sometimes. We talk about players, ‘He’s quick, he’s strong, he can jump high’. We never talk about players’ brains and that annoys me.
“When I watch him dribble, he’s thinking. He thinks when he plays and that for me is the most important thing in a player. He thinks. He uses his brain.
“Yes, he’s quick, but he’s thinking and that is the sign of a kid who can go a long way in the game.”
When there’s so much on offering in a deal, there’s no mulling over the price tag. You simply go and snaffle your man. It may appear to be absolute and utter madness, but in reality, it’d be a wise decision were Arsenal to pay what is being asked, because as quickly as he is developing, he would be worth more than the current value anyway with more clubs ready to pay his buyout fee in the next couple of years.
Will someone like Real Madrid let anyone have him in 2020? It’s a plain and simple no. If Arsenal buy him now and he wishes to leave for a bigger club years later (in case the North Londoners fail to win major trophies even with him), they’ll easily make a profit off his deal and be able to instantly make another big signing. Either way, the gain is Arsenal’s.
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Just wonder, if the mere rumours of a bid have brought about an uplift, what may the signing bring with it. Remember, Arsene’s French recruitments have had a history with the club and are one of the reasons of the club’s glorious history.