Should Arsenal just pay the 80m for Lemar and sell Alexis? (Not to Man City, of course!)

Should we spend 80 million on Lemar and sell Alexis? by Konstantin Mitov

Hello lovely Arsenal people! The latest transfer rumours are that Monaco apparently slapped an 80 million price tag on Lemar so that others don’t come in for him, and I can understand their desire not to sell anymore with the amount of players who already left.

But reports also suggest we may bust the bank again and try to get him. Should we do that? I think we should honestly. And the reason being is that we have too many players who we’ve stuck with over the years and done nothing. Perhaps it’s time to make a change and put our fate in new players and we do have quite a few players who need to leave like Gibbs, Debuchy, Jenkinson, Wilshere, Lucas, Chambers and I’d accept a 30 million offer for Theo too.

Besides at 21 Lemar has won the French title and played in the CL semi-finals. But by far the biggest reason we should go for him is the inevitable departure of Sanchez. This summer or next, Alexis seems to have set his heart elsewhere and despite what Wenger is saying about being positive which we’ve heard before, Sanchez is likely to leave.

Losing Alexis will be a huge blow, but we’ve lost players like Thierry Henry and still survived. If PSG come with an offer of 50 million just sell him there. If not though, should we sell to City? On one hand you can look at the drama queen performances he did last season and his bust up with Wenger and think that this is not too healthy for the dressing room.

But on the other hand, we can show some resilience and tell him to fight for his place for next season or he can happily warm the bench and I prefer this approach rather than cashing in, because in modern day football with the inflated prices 50 million is not too much.

I’d like to see us show the world that Arsenal is bigger than the player and we intend to return to the top, which will not happen if we sell our best players to our rivals. Look at how Conte dealt with Costa. He gave him the managerial injury and Costa shamefully went to apologise so that he plays. Now Costa is no longer of service for Conte, because he tried to play him a trick mid-season.

And the story about Bonucci’s bust up with Dybala and Allegri at Juventus is similar. If you don’t play by the rule of the club you’re out. I’d like to see this here and if Sanchez wants to go to CIty, he can do it next season for free, because we don’t sell to our rivals. We wanted change and I expect to see it on all levels, not just in adding a few players!

Konstantin

42 Comments

    1. Pride.
      I’m with Konstantin- no sales to a direct rival!
      PSG can have him for £50m upwards. It seems Arsenal fans have forgotten his sulking and AW bust up that led to him being benched. It cost us the game and maybe our CL place, but no player or manager is bigger than the club. We are the Arsenal. He is contracted to us and should sulk his way through another season of 30 goals. If we win the league, he can have a transfer fee sized bonus plus backdated contract.

      As for Lemar £80m? They’re having a bubble. This one is up there with the “blue sky/pie in the sky” thinking of £123m for Mbappe. I rate the player- he’s versatile and would be a great addition but £50m for a 21 year old should be all.

  1. Arsenal do sell to rivals though. Arsenal are a selling club, and thats why they dont challange for the title anymore. Sadly its facts.

  2. Whether Sanchez stays or not yes we must get Lemar. But NOT at 80mil.

    Give Monaco 48 to 52 mil. They can even have a player since their squad is growing thinner and thinner (Gibbs / Debuchy / Campbell / Chambers / Jack / Ackpom / or even Theo) and we give them some cash too.

    Should they insist on there valuation, I suggest we try elsewhere, Dembelle from Dortmund (50 to 60) / Mahrez (40 to 50) / Kun (60 to 70) or even 70mil Auba would be money well spent. Granted he is good, but 80mil for a one season wonder winger who has never played in the EPL is criminal.

    1. dembele would be more than 80 i reckon-buzz around him is huge
      pogba dembele and mbappe seen as future of french football

      1. You are probably right muff and he is very impressive.

        Then let me cross him out of my list, I don’t think we have the resources to splash 80mil on a single player and have enough funds to strengthen in other areas including our academy. If that 80mill can be slip in getting 45mil Mahrez / 30mil CM / and 5mil future star (preferably a striker, winger or CM) I would be a happy gunner.

  3. Any possibility of a swap deal Alexis plus money for Lemar? Not Alexis + 1 pound like Arsene’s old day, LOL. Say : Alexis + 30 M pounds?

  4. The issue is losing Alexis and replace with an unproven player…I am sure our scouts have done their home work on the lad I only really started watching monaco from the quarter finals of the CL and their subsequent league games and tbh he looked a good player but that was about it..anyway what do I know…the guys that stood out for me were Mendy Bakayoko silva and Mbappe obviously …I really hope I am wrong on my assessment of Lemar and he turns out to be the next football God!..

    The only way Sanchez can go to citeh with out a backlash is a swap with Aguero any amount of money we accept will be penny wise pound foolish..if we just sell him bank £50m and the season starts badly the atmosphere maybe so toxic that we would struggle to make top 4..

    Sanchez has a contract let him honour it…that should be our emphasis

    1. We just sign a target man costed big money : Laca. I don’t think him or Aguero want to play from the flank to serve other.

  5. If we have the money to buy a player for 60 Million+ then surely we have the money to pay Sanchez wage demands of 300k pw. This is 11 Million per season, over 3 years it will cost 33 Million. This is half the price of the new player and still you have to play millions in wages for the new player.

    I get it when we didn’t have the money, but now we have the money. It’s also economically sound to pay the wages to Sanchez because he fits the team, he consistently scores, he is consistently hard working. Lemar might not fit, might find the Premiership too tough, perhaps homesick, perhaps be unable to score. Remember high scoring Torres from Liverpool to no goal scoring at Chelsea.

    1. You are correct. I do feel the agents have a way of raising the fee. But Sanchez is not willing to stay. He wants out. 275K per week imo is Ok. Hazard is not on 300K and he is equally influential and almost at par with Sanchez skill wise. Sanchez and his agent are holding our club to ransom.

      1. Hazard is as good as Sanchez in every way.He’s more naturally talented and is the more skillful and better dribble.You can deny it all you want.

        1. Every way except for getting results. Sanchez has been in the PL for three seasons and has had a better season in every single one than Hazard. And that is with Chelsea winning the PL in two of those three seasons.

          I would pick a hard worker over more talent every day of the week. Unfortunately, Sanchez appears to only be a hard worker when things are going his way.

          1. I never put the getting results part into question.But the fact that he’s our player and I ike him doesn’t mean I’ll lie about him.I wouldn’t also say he’s been better in every single season but just that he’s adapted more quickly.As for you picking talent over hardwork that’s your opininon.After all it’s not like Hazard is lazy though Sanchez works harder than him.

              1. He’s won many games for Chelsea as has Sanchez for Arsenal.He terrorises our team as Sanchez also does again them.Of course he’s as good as him in every way.

                1. Alexis for chile vs hazard for Belgium who have great players compared to chile I think alexis takes the title when add his work rate, consistency and goals and assists combined and he doesn’t wait for moments like hazard he makes moments infact he’s like a super hero compared to batman like hazard (batman) vs alexis (superman) lol

    2. Arsenal1Again We did offered him 300K, but some rumor said he wanted 400K a week. Dude, this is not the matter of money anymore because not even Ronaldo and Messi accept that amount of wage weeks in weeks out.

  6. Lemar is only worth 35m pounds. The french league is not as physical as the EPL. Falcao, Di Maria, Balloteli at Liverpool, Gomis, all had fantastic seasons at their french clubs. They could not replicate same at their English clubs. Lemar was bought 3.5m pounds from Cean. We dont need him that much. And some think, he could replace Carzola. AOC, Iwobi can play the Carzola role with our change in formation. We should sign Mahrez rather. He knows the EPL already. He is skillful, can take on defenders and scores. 35m pounds for Mahrez. If Sanchez does not sign, sell him to PSG. Other players will step up. Lemar is not worth 50m pounds.

    1. I agree with you on the fact that he’s not even worth £50.When we were asking Wenger to spend big to buy Lacazette some few seasons back people said he is not proven on the big stage yet and that he was in the French League.Today,we are in a similar situation and we are going to bid a whooping £50 for a player who’ll probably be benched if Sanchez stays and take up the leading role if he leaves.Whrre’s the sense in all this?Probably, long term he might be worth it but as of now he ain’t.It will be better to risk Mahrez replacing Sanchez than Lemar.The guy has done it before and I think he can handle the pressure.I don’t see Lemar having a better impact than Mahrez for Arsenal.The painful thing is that we might fail getting Lemar and allow Mahrez to movecto AS Roma which leaves us with nothing.

      1. Iv been watching lemar a bit closer recently and I fort he was a LM predominantly but after a closer look he could be an amazing CM coz his size and strength don’t come into play when he has such amazing technical ability with a very quick turn and acceleration with quick decision making with accurate pass completion! Compared to mahrez he’s just superior in nearly every way net to mention his crossing which is better than anyone at arsenal football club and his set pieces and when u think a 21 year old with this much talent wants to come to arsenal instead all the oil money clubs it’s a chance arsenal cant pass up on coz these type of players never end up at arsenal so this is Wengers chance to finally add a top of the range technical player that usually goes to Madrid Barca psg etc

  7. what is the matter with all these arsenal fans alexis has 1 year left on his contract he is the best player in the league he has nothing to do with lemar or mpappe

  8. I’d be very angry with Wenger if he even went to £60 not to talk of £80.For that kind of money you’ll be getting far more talented players.If you watch a lot of football you’ll know this.He has age mates that are better than him but their not yet being talked about because some are in average teams and others are yet to be given a proper stage.Also, Monaco never wanted to sell Mbappe and Lemar this season.If Arsenal were interested in any other players we would have gotten them long ago.They might have even demanded more than £80 if many clubs were interested and honestly speaking can you blame them?Is he the only talented winger that Arsenal are looking at?We have to spend money wisely and this ain’t wise business.

    1. Kev This is not year 2000 dude. Football is not a wise business anymore since the rise of Chelsea, ManShit, or PSG let alone the old time rich dog Real Madrid and ManUre. They have destroyed the wise business and turn it into market of imagination. Kylian Mbappe tagged 80M pound or more, not only to protect him from other clubs. Monaco,if possible, also selling the image of new Thierry Henry in the future, about how great he’s gonna be. ManShit just turned Kyle Walker the ex Spuds into the most expensive defender in the world would you believe? I say, Hector Bellerin will pass this guy abilities anytime anywhere.
      Clear that this season will be Arsene last year if we don’t win PL trophy. So, he can’t play the antics of penny pinching anymore. His job is on the line. He must not close his bank early.

      1. I was never try to insinuate that it’s year 2000 in terms of spending and all that.Look at all the clubs you mentioned.They were Man Utd,Chelsea,Man wateva,PSG and Real Madrid.Arsenal has nothing on them when it comes to money for transfers.The majority of these clubs also chalk a lot of success or have very wealthy owners who own a higher percentage of shares which adds to the money already available for transfers.If they want to spend extravagantly let them do but not Arsenal.We must not compare ourselves to them in terms of spending.Lemar is a good player and I like him very much but he’s just not worth £80.Look at the other poaitions Arsenal have to strengthen.It would be wrong to spend all that money on him when we know very well that this yearwe have enough to strengthen the required positions.That money if spent well can get us about two players.It’s not worth it to break our transfer record for him.Besides there’s even better than him for less.

  9. Should pay the 80m if that’s what it takes. And keep Alexis. If Arsenal don’t pay it someone else will, that’s a fact, and all anyone remembers is what we achieve in the season (unless the performance is poor and then we all complain about the players we should have bought who are now at Man City, Utd, Chelsea etc). Arsenal is a big, very profitable club, and can match any other club for funding transfers and paying wages if they have the desire to do so.

    1. Exactly if we don’t pay for lemar psg Barca etc will and then he’s ungettable and arsenal go back to waiting for rejects to fill in gaps! It’s time arsenal make there own world class players and have other clubs envy us for getting them first! On a side note a think if we get lemar to join lacazette, griezzman might replace alexis next season with the squad we would have we probably would only need one signing to replace alexis and that’s it so 86mil in one window for griezzmann would be an average spend for one summer at arsenal

  10. get lemar at all cost now before we lose him this how we lose mata,hazard, and even suares Wenger should learn how pay money for the player he really need not after pricing from granut to peanut then u end up losing every thing and after u will now bring amateurs players to come and compete with club’s like Bayern, barca,man u,Chelsea, or real Madrid, pls sign lemar if u think he is good or move for another player PAY THE MONEY NOW OR NEVER stop waisting time

  11. You do know Monaco set the bar at 80m euros (not ££) to discourage clubs from bothering them unnecessarily. So they must know some clubs have the finances and resources to meet their price. With our billionaire backing AFC should always be counted among the clubs with an elite of young players to be valued not only as world talents but also as assets. Lemar would be such an asset in world football terms he’s played the game at a very high level, he’s a game changer who can only get better, that’s assuming he is managed in the right way – iv reason to believe Arsenal FC is the right way. My only hope is that hes as enthusiastic about becoming a success at AFC as we all are.

  12. Just let the moan a lot go! Don’t let him disrupt the team this season with his hissy fits and histrionics. Would rather have an inferior player that wants to play for the team than someone like that.

    Overrated anyway- takes too many touches at times running nowhere and where he can sometimes pass as the better option he doesn’t.

    If you want to go Alexi go! For all his so called legendary status we still only made 5th place anyway – and yes Alexi you are in that team too mate so also responsible.

  13. I don’t understand the article writers logic.
    Don’t sell him to City this year but let him go there next year for free and then we are not selling to a rival. No but we are then giving him to a rival for free. Twisted thinking. Take the money now and let’s all move on.
    Every bloody day there are 2 or 3 articles on the same subject. Please stop now! By the way Monaco set the €80 mil fee at the beginning of the transfer window.

    1. What a world we live in.People are acting as if this is an easy decision for Wenger.If he keeps Sanchez for next season and we win the EPL then allow him to go for free people will say Wenger is a genius and the risk paid off.If we keep him next season and we don’t win the EPL and allow him to go for free the world will laugh at Wenger and Arsenal.I for one find this a funny situation because he’ll still be a Man City player no matter the case.

  14. £50m tops for Lemar, really like him as a player but wouldn’t mind Mahrez for £30m either.

  15. Get Lemar and Mahrez for £80 million lol
    £50 million for Lemar
    £30 million for Mahrez

  16. Lucas Perez plays Walcott’s wing better and is more accurate and deadly to oppositions. He is also left footed which is an advantage on that wing. Wenger should give him a try.

  17. I can’t help but laugh at some of the suggestions. 80mil for Lemar? Sure, no problem. Sell Sanchez to PSG for 50mil? Off you go. First of all, Konstantin, you can’t just sell players to any team you want for any price you want. I hope you understand how the transfer market works, and there are 3 parties involved. The player himself (and his agent); the club who currently owns the player; and the club who wants to buy the player. If either one of those three doesn’t want the deal to happen, it won’t. In this case, PSG and Arsenal might be willing to do business, but Sanchez himself won’t go there. He already priced himself out of Bayern, why would he go to PSG? As for paying 80mil for Lemar – this is not FIFA manager. It’s a ridiculous price, and we shouldn’t be paying that much. The kid’s got potential, but he’s not a proven player yet. Frankly, I’d rather get Mahrez for 40-45mil, and use the rest on strengthening our midfield.

  18. If you believe, even for a second, that Arsenal are the kind of club that won’t sell to it’s competitors and/or values the idea of competing for your starting position, then you are speaking about an Arsenal team that I’m not familiar with…this team has become a cross between a poor man’s Athletico Madrid(developing players to sell them to teams with championship aspirations and deep pockets) and AC Milan, who pretended to matter for several years by purchasing players who had a “name” value then playing just well enough to make it to Europe because the Italian League as a whole were only producing one or two world-class teams on a per year basis…unfortunately for us and teams like AC Milan some non-traditional teams emerged and shifted the balance making it far more difficult to maintain our hold on those 3rd and 4th place qualifying positions…instead we should have learned the lessons of the more recent campaigns of Athletico who have become more of a buyer then a seller and have even given extended contracts to players with world-class aspirations(not to mention bringing in a manager that expects and, in fact, requires his players to leave it all on the field or face the consequences)…so when you think that this team has learned their lesson after the growing discontent of the last few seasons, which culminated in a somewhat concerted effort to oust Wenger last year, think again…if we, as fans, don’t make this organization accountable for their continued disregard for the fans and the ease by which they repeat the same managerial mistakes year in and year out, then we are as much to blame as those in charge…keeping in mind, the only difference is that even in failure they are making millions of dollars and we are the ones lining their pockets

  19. Forget Lemar, spend 80ml on mahrez and Virgil, make Sanchez stay. We are solid in attack, midfield and defence. Team is more balanced with quality options in every position. That’s the way to go
    COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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