£40m ace asks to leave Real Madrid: should Arsenal swoop in?

When Argentina faced-off against a stubborn Swiss side in the last round of the World Cup, Angel Di Maria somehow managed to put in one of the very worst performances of his career.

He misplaced passes, fluffed crossed and ran into defenders. In total, he gave the ball away a staggering 51 times. This is a spectacular disappointment for a player playing at the top level.

But when extra time rolled by, he was the only player with the legs left to take the fight to the Swiss. Even Lionel Messi looked knackered. In the end, Angel Di Maria knocked home the goal that won the game and sent Argentina through to the next round. All his earlier misdemeanors were forgotten.

His overall performance was something of an anomaly. He’s been in fantastic form all season long. He’s made 52 appearances for Real Madrid (you don’t get that much game time at the Bernabeu without having something special about your game), he’s scored 11 goals and he’s made 26 assists. These figures alone prove that he’s a highly effective footballer.

We also know that he has bags of energy and that he’s not one to give up or stop trying.

He’s a player who has been linked with a move to Arsenal on a fairly regular basis over the last year. So what will fans make of The Mirror‘s claim that ‘Angel Di Maria has asked to leave Real Madrid this summer’?

With the source suggesting that Madrid want 50m euros (approximately £40m) to make a deal happen. That’s just under Arsenal’s transfer record, but it’s not outside of The Gunners financial reach. If Arsene Wenger is really interested in Angel Di Maria, he may well be able to tempt him to the Emirates.

With Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo running the show at Real Madrid, Arsenal would provide Angel Di Maria with an opportunity to break out from under their shadows and to start making a real name for himself.

We’ve seen already how good he is in the final third. If that isn’t reason enough for Arsenal to spend big on him, then I don’t know what is.

What’s your take? Should The Gunners really be interested in Angel Di Maria? 

Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!

ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.