According to L’Equipe, Arsenal have tabled a second offer, in excess of €30 million, for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.
The 21-year-old France international has been linked with a host of clubs, including Atletico Madrid, following a storming season that saw him help Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-finals.
While the attacking midfielder, who can also operate on the left wing, garnered fewer headlines than teammates Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy, his statistics make for impressive reading. In all competitions he made 55 appearances, netting 14 goals and making 17 assists.
It’s suggested that the Gunners have been tracking Lemar since his days at Caen and that the boss is determined not to miss securing his target this year.
As has been well-documented, Monaco have already rebuffed a huge offer from Arsenal for Mbappe. The Gunners have since turned their attention to the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Riyad Mahrez as they mull over attacking options should Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mesut Ozil refuse to pen new long-term deals at the Emirates.
If we could make it happen, Lemarvellous.
yeah, if there any justice in the world we’ll get him…
I’m unsure of this one, really is 50/50
Oh damn I made the same joke before reading this. You joke stealer you…
Right about now I’m 50/50
What does justice have to do with this? Just curious.
There was once a singer called Lemar
Whose career didn’t go very far
He sang a few tunes but really quite soon
his fame went down the shittah!
He’s got a net worth of over £5mil.
I’d say he’s done better than most of us here.
But we’ve been here a thousand times, and there not much top top quality in the world.
Forgive me
Lemarsenal!
Lemarkable that three people disliked this, truly.
I want this player so badly. Amazing news if true! Sign him up Wenger, he’s worth going that extra mile for
So do I. I don’t get as excited whenever we’re linked with a centre forward if I’m honest, a.k.a Lacazette or Mbappe, and especially for the amount of money touted. I think we’re pretty stocked there apart from a highly clinical fox in the box type player, like Eduardo was for us but that’s probably rare these days (stat wise maybe Icardi but he’s signed to inter till 2021). What I’d rather see are pacey and direct wide forwards (Lemar, Reus, Mahrez, Douglas Costa, or the likes), and a creative deep lying playmaker to take over from Santi, also very… Read more »
As to your second priority (deep lying playmaker) I quite fancy Seri from Nice. I have to confess, I haven’t watched their games, but the highlights, the stats and reports paint a pretty picture in terms of his ability to succeed Santi.
If we stick to the system we don’t need wide forwards, what we then need are guys who can play behind the striker. But Lemar is absolutely capable of doing this too so I’d love to see him at the Emirates next season.
Would have loved to see Mbappe at Arsenal too but if we add Lacazette and Lemar to the squad without letting one of our star players go, I think this was a successful transfer window.
Deep Lying Playmaker?
Whats Xhaka then?
As for we stocked CFs, we may have a good number, but quality is what we lack. And barring Sanchez’s stint there, we’ve lacked a bonafide WC striker since the Dutch skunk left.
I think you’ll find the deep lying playmaker to take over from santi is called granit xhaka.
Wondering how this deal could affect our chances on Mbappé. I do not see Monaco selling two of their best players to us. And does this mean that Alexis is leaving? I can’t imagine Lemar not wanting a first 11 spot.
We couldn’t afford him before. We can’t afford him even more now.
2 totally different players. Not a replacement but an addition I hope.
Look man, Mbappe is not going to happen, period. We would be VERY lucky if we manage to nick Lemar and Lacazette (keeping Alexis of course) given that we are not in the UCL.
M’bappe can still happen. I believe we are the best club for the kid to develop.
£130m. Kid to develop. Insanity.
Anything we do is insane until we win the league. On the other hand we cannot win the league without doing something insane. I say fuck it, let’s get M’bappe at all costs. I would rather spend 130 million on a 18 year old than on a 27 year old with no resale value.
Plus, we are the best club in the world for a kid like him.
In other news, Jack Wilshere got married yesterday….
Hopefully that means he’s divorcing us.
Lemar is the type of player we should have been buying in this window regardless of whether we keep Alexis/Ox/Ozil. The fact he can play a bit deeper means that if we get him (seems doable) then all we are missing is a top striker. However if we lose any of the above or Giroud then names like Mahrez etc make sense. I for one am not going to get sucked into the “we spent £120m” excuse at the start of September if we let 3/4 of our best players go too.
Must say I am 50/50 on this one. If we do pull off this signing however it will make me wanna dance…
I’ll get my coat
I can’t remember ‘i’ll get my coat’, was that his early underground work?
You’re 50/50 on this one? Is there any justice in the world?
Would prefer dembele but this kid is also good. Fingers crossed we sign him up
Dembele also happens to cost 80 million euros, seems like a different price range and type of player.
If Sanchez leaves, what do you guys think of James Rodriguez as a replacement. Surely he’s quite versatile.
Only a lord can replace him
Lord Bendtner?
Ain’t happening, James’ agent is Jorge Mendes.
would be a dream
He scores with his bonce, he scores with his bonce, hedy lemar, he scores with his bonce
”El mar” is what people call him in Spanish when they love him.
Qué?
Why would they call him “the sea”?
Because he is everywhere just like the sea
like Freddie?
If there any justice in the world….
We’re a 3-4-2-1 team now according to Arsene. If we keep Mesut & Alexis ( Yea, Optimistic) and sign Lacazette. Where does Lemar fit in this? Is he an Alexis replacement? From the look of it, Lemar isn’t a Box to Box midfielder.
Exactly what im thinking. Unless he wants to include lemar in the europa and cups mainly with a long term view to replace ozil
As much as I think we need a traditional winger who can play on the left, I find it a bit disconcerting that for all the player’s being linked, there’s no evidence we’re seeking to purchase a centre midfielder who is strong defensively. Shipped a lot of goals last year,that’s an area that should be prioritized.
The need for a defensive midfielder disappeared when we switched to 3 at the back.
30 million euros doesn’t get you much these days. Is this really a credible bid?
They failed to report that we also threw in a half-eaten pack of gum, a fidget spinner and a bag of jamon ruffles.
The jamon Ruffles should convince anyone.
He is awesome in Football Manager….so that’s good enough for me! Sign him up Dickie.
i’m not sure how we can pull off any signings from Monaco. They are in the CL and currently a bigger club than us.
Define ‘bigger’
I hear he has good movement. Specifically, he likes to move it, move it.
Left wing in the 3-4-3 (or however one would numerate our 3 at the back formation). The left side was the weakness in that formation and it would give us a lot of flexibility there. 3 guys who could play wide and 2 of them (Sead/Monreal) who can play left cb. Could also play in Sanchez’s position (more behind the striker on the left) if we keep him to play up top.
If Alexis stays, and if we gave him time up top, that would be fun to see.
Would be a great signing, would make a cheesy pun but if there is any justice in the world anyone reading this will be spared.
This signing makes more sense than mbappe, given the price range and age of the player. I’m not saying mbappe isn’t a good player, but upwards of 100 million for a player, any player, is lunacy.
Having 100s of millions in the bank year on year is lunacy.
Spanking 100+ on a kid who 99% will end up a barcelona or real madrid in a few years would be good for the club.
Theo to West Ham should fund this one.
Told a guy at work today we might sign Lemar, he just seemed to hear Neymar.. I don’t really want to burst his bubble quite yet.. as for the signing I’d be delighted based on the same logic that he’s brilliant in my Fifa ultimate team. I honestly think we are going to have a great transfer window this year, but at this point I think if we sign anyone from Monaco it should be their football scout!.
As a side I feel sorry for Monaco, especially as we were in the same situation a few years ago. Part of me really wants them to tell everybody to fuck off, keep Lemar, Mbappé etc and win the CL in two years, but at the same time I would take half their side in a heartbeat
Want lemar. Dribbles in a sort of Cazorlaish way but more powerful.
Are we actually scared that we’ll lose Özil and Ox? Doesnt feel to me like there is any movement on them.
I fear the idea is for Ramsey and Lemar to fill the Ozil and Sanchez roles and for the Ox to then move in beside Xhaka. Then bring in the cassette to play up top. With Mahrez as either depth or lined up in case Lemar doesn’t happen.
The Ox is not a cm though as he showed in an England shirt
Come on Arsene, sign this boy up already!!!
I rate alex iwobi more than lemar
I’ve never even seen him play but i hope we sign him because I love signing players even more than watching the actual matches.
A pretty good look into the mind of the modern football fan. ?
I think Lemar would be a good move if we can then move Walcott on. I’m relaxed about a striker. Conceding too many was rather more of a problem than scoring too few. And it wasn’t due to lack of quality in defence. It seems to me the best thing we could do next season would be to ensure the defensive coaching in place at the end of the season is actually focused going into this one so we stop giving away the stupid goals we did last.
Rohoth J., you want to sell Theo Walcot to fund the purchase of Lemar? I have bad news for Walcot haters .Wenger knows what he brings to the team, hence he will not sell him. He suffered injuries last season and he played far less matches than Sanchez but still scored 19 goals for Arsenal as a winger ! Search well all over Europe and let us know any winger with a better goal per minute ratio. You want to sell your second highest goal scorer after Sanchez to a rival ? Why do we have many Walcot haters as… Read more »
These fans and Gareth Southgate have problems with the fact Walcott hasn’t become the so-called world class player. They put Walcott in a box. He is either world-class or trash.
Our record signing hardly ever scores but he was worth every penny
Centrally would prefer Saul Niguez or Kerem Demirbay
I don’t think Lemar is as solid defensively.
If he plays, it’s wide midfield which means effectively it could be another option to post Sanchez (like Lacazette). In which case I prefer Mahrez…but if Sanchez does leave, we should (SHOULD) add two so maybe Lemar on the left since Riyadh predominates right side. Ox can alternate on either flank.
Goodbye Walcott!!
Poo meter isn’t working
You know there’s a lot of hate here on Walcott that’s extremely unwarranted. Correct if me if I’m wrong, but the first three months of our season Walcott was among our best players. Tracking back, winning the ball back, and scoring goals…it seems we forgot pretty quickly.
I see no hatred towards Walcott here. He played well for 4 months and then went missing. Nothing new there. When he’s good he’s good and when he’s not he’s the invisible man on holiday. It won’t kill us getting someone with better consistency if we can. If this french lad offers that is another story but at this point I don’t see many people grieving the moving on of Walcott with a thank you very much for the good times, let’s forget the less good and all the best.
With or without the workmate if teams sit deep he’s no help for his teammates. We need a player that does more than just run in behind.
He was like a man possessed at the start of the season, he had this look in his eyes a hunger a desire to go out and get involved and have an impact. He looked like he was finally stepping up as a senior member of the squad and taking responsibility for his performances. I remembered looking at him and thinking finally some one has figured it out some one is stepping up and demanding more of himself and those around him. We’ve had some great leaders in the likes if Vieira, Adams etc… But they were leaders of guys… Read more »
It’s not hate. I don’t know the man. How can I hate him? It’s just that he’s far too limited a player to play for a manager who requires flexibility in his team. He’s so limited it reduces the efficacy of any team strategy.
Replace the name walcott with Ramsey and you get an entirely different reaction. Yet ramsey is far more inconsistent.its ok to blame walcott despite his goals do the same to ramsey who has one good game in every 4 and you get slaughtered.
Can’t agree. From where I sit I don’t see Ramsey quite deliberately hiding, making sure he’s in a line between the guy on the ball and the intervening defender, helping to ensure his lack of technique isn’t shown up. Ramsay may screw up from time to time, but he doesnt hide.
First 3 months may be the factor.
He should do it for longer.
I hope we wrap this up quickly in July. Shows some intent and may make it easier to convince other players to stay/sign.
I’m not going to pretend I know how good he is. I’ve never seen him play. There seems to be a lot of fuss so he must be decent. Still, I would also be happy with Mahrez. He looks great when he gives a shit. He just didn’t last season and who can blame him, he’s at Leicester.
Well, had to check some clips of Lemar on YouTube. I mean, I like the fact that he loves to run forward with the ball, but, maybe my expectations were a bit high given the hype of him making the rounds or how great a signing he’d be for us. I would rather tie Alexis, Ozil and Oxlade to new contracts, and prolly sign a Mahrez or Douglas Costa.
Lemar seems to me like campbell with speed and strength. Fine player IMO
Sorry for my ignorance friends but i never seen him playing apart from a couple of youtube highlights. Can anyone please feed me with a bit more intelligence on Lemar’s profile, his playing style and key stenghts? Thanks upfront.
Guardian are reporting that Monaco are determined not to sell, esp since they’ve offloaded two players already. We should’ve moved much earlier. I think this is dead.
Hear a Walcott-hater “He played well for 4 months and disappeared” Based on your claim, he scored 19 goals in 4 months so we should sell him? God bless all those who spoke up for Walcott today. He is one of the most intelligent players in England and I say it without any iota of doubt. Walcott is one of the most feared attacking players in England. No wing or full back forays into our territory without fear of the danger at the other end. I look forward to seeing him link up with Cazorla and Ozil next season. If… Read more »
Intelligent? From my seat in the north bank I see him intelligently positioning himself in places where he can’t be passed to, failing to make obvious runs which former wide players such as Lljungberg, and Pires would naturally make and screwing up passes and chances more regularly than either. Sorry, just reporting what I see, rather than what I would like to see.
17 assists!!! That’s a Wenger type of player for sure.
If Wenger has money to spend on all these targets, Mbappe, Lacazette, Lemar, Marez why doesn’t he have the money Sanchez is asking for?
Not sure if this is mentioned elsewhere, but l’équipe are saying that Arsenal have made an offer ‘according to the daily mail’
So maybe more poos needed.
Still, for what it’s worth, I think this would be a great signing were it to happen.
Ornstein is reporting it now too so probably true. Doesn’t sound hopeful tho.
These guys have better nipples on their kit launch
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/ayr-uniteds-kit-suddenly-very-10700370.amp
Mbappé? No
Lacazette? No
Lemar? No
Mahrez No?
Sanogo!
Dear Wenger,
Please buy Mbappe becuase Arsenal will benefit a lot form
1. His long time contribition to Arsenal’s success since he is young
2. Sale of kits with his name
3. Other patent rights.
then buy Lemar and Luccazzette. this will enable you not to buy in the next two years. I think this can be a good strategy economically.
What if we sign Lemar and Lacazette, that keeps one player on the bench (I think Özil and Sanchez will stay) who would start? Can’t really see signing both Lemar and Lacazette..