Mahrez to Arsenal is finally put to bed!
Arsenal fans have been given hope over the past few weeks that despite the fact the club hasn’t had the best transfer window, there was a chance that Wenger was seriously lining up an attractive offer for Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez. The transfer rumour however has now been put to bed, with some unfortunate news for Arsenal fans.
Mahrez had given the fans hope last week when he said there was ‘two or three clubs’ he would consider leaving Leicester for, as well as the fact that he also stated that he wants to stay in the Premier League for as long as possible. It meant that Arsenal were pointed out as firm favourites to get the Algerian’s signature, if he was to leave the Premier League Champions.
Now however the transfer talk surrounding Mahrez can stop, Arsenal fans can no longer get their hopes up and Arsene Wenger can turn his attention elsewhere for like the tenth time this summer. Leicester officially confirmed yesterday that Mahrez has signed a new four year contract with the Foxes, ending all speculation that he wants a move away.
Contract extensions can sometimes work in favour of a transfer of course, as some clubs get players to extend so they can negotiate more money from a potential sale, however in this case I can’t see that happening. I firmly believe Mahrez will be remaining with Leicester for the forthcoming season. Last season’s PFA Player of the Year therefore becomes the second Leicester star to be shown interest from Arsenal this summer, after teammate Jamie Vardy, before deciding to extend his contract with his current side.
Arsenal face Leicester at the King Power stadium this weekend for the second round of Premier League fixtures. Both sides are in need of a win to kick off their seasons, so I’d expect it to be a close encounter.
By AH