It strikes me that the quality of transfer targets that Arsenal are being linked to are decreasing as Arsenal’s misfortune increases. In other words, the worse Arsenal get, the more dross they find being pushed their way.
The truth is, however, that Arsene Wenger is no fool. Yes, he’s made some bad mistakes in the transfer market (Marouane Chamakh, Mikael Silvestre, Park Chu-Young, Olivier Giroud(?)… the list goes on) but he knows a talented footballer when he sees one and is more than capable of delivering the goods. If the Gunners find themselves linked (genuinely – not just media guff) it’s usually with good reason.
So when you hear a transfer rumour linking the Gunners to a 18-year-old, it’s usually with good reason. In this case, Arsenal have found themselves linked to Serbian starlet Lazar Markovic (source: talkSPORT). Despite being a mere whippet, he’s already made over 50 appearances for FK Partizan.
His performances in the Europa League have caught the eye of some top clubs. Barcelona, Sevilla, Fiorentina and Roma are all thought to be interested.
When a talent like this comes along at such a young age, it’s little wonder that so many of Europe’s best and brightest start paying attention.
The truth is, however, that he’s completely unproven in any half-decent League. If he was a young player making waves in La Liga, or even Serie A, it’d be different. Whilst he wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy, he’d be another player on the wage bill and another player for the likes of Arsene Wenger to nurture. And hasn’t Arsene got enough on his mind already?
By this stage, I think he deserves to be dealing with players who can have a real influence on the first team. He deserves to be backed by his club with players who are genuinely world-class. It’s time for Arsenal to target the real-deal and not just those with potential.
Too many of Arsenal’s experiments with youth have failed to come off. I’m sure Markovic has a big future ahead of him. He may well make it to a top club. But he’s not the kind of target the Gunners ought to be looking at – not at the moment.
Let’s hope Wenger has some bigger and brighter ideas by the time that January roles by.
What’s your take? Should the Gunners pursue Lazar Markovic?
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great we will make him a star and then he will leave good plan wenger