If there’s a talented, technically-minded footballer currently plying his trade in Ligue 1, you can bet your bottom dollar that Arsene Wenger knows everything about him. There’s also a good chance that Newcastle’s Alan Pardew has been keeping tabs, but that’s another matter.
Arsenal have plenty of talented midfielders in his squad already, but The Professor can’t seem to help himself when it comes to young French footballers.
This brings me to the club’s interest in Marseille’s exciting attacking midfielder, Florian Thauvin. At 21-years-old, Thauvin has already demonstrated an inordinate amount of talent. Just check out the youngster’s statistics from last season. He made 26 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scored 11 goals and made 6 assists.
To have that kind of goal-scoring nous at a young age is rare. With this in mind, it wouldn’t surprise me if Arsene Wenger’s interest was genuine.
There are certainly other clubs who are interested. The Metro claim that Inter Milan almost wrapped up a deal for Thauvin during the summer transfer window. In the end, the deal fell through. Check out these quotes from the player himself:
‘The president had contact with Inter, but I don’t know exactly what happened. Things were clear for the president and me: my departure was out of the question, so honestly I haven’t studied the offer. It’s flattering [interest from elsewhere]. [But] I am a Marseille player and they are a big club too. Here I feel really good.’
It sounds like Thauvin is happy where he is, so The Gunners may struggle to pluck him away from his current club. But there’s no use giving up just yet. If Arsenal pull together a big enough bid, they may well be able to tempt Marseille into selling. If they can offer Thauvin a compelling contract, then they might well be able to seal the deal.
It’s up to Arsenal to make the player keen on a move. If they’re genuinely interested in him, then they should be able to pull this feat off.
What’s your take? Should The Gunners be interested in another attacking midfielder?
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.