This is most likely so when you think about it, the club would probably factor this in too, that if Sanchez is going we have basically just replaced him with an inferior player, so in order to improve the team we simply have to improve other areas, basically what I'm saying is it is nigh on impossible to replace him with a player as good so we have to replace him with 2 (or 3) players that are closer to his level than the existing one's at the club.

This begs the question who's place is under threat from our first choice line up from last season?, I am not especially keen on Mahrez for the reasons others have already said, plus isn't he a bit too similar to Özil?, unless of course he is Özil's replacement!. Assuming we stick to 3 at the back there are limited places for 'attacking' players, this is why I think Ox might go as Ramsey/Xhaka was first choice in CM and Ox doesn't want to play as a utility man.

Back to Mahrez - if we do sign him where does this leave Walcott? - he's got to go surely. Wenger has always preached about 'evolution' rather than 'revolution' but I can't help thinking this summer we need the latter, there are just too many issues that need resolving for a little bit of tinkering to be enough.

Out - Walcott £20M, Giroud £20M, Ox £25M
Debuchy £0, Jenkinson £0 , Elneny £5M , Ospina £5M

£75M

In - Lacazette £50M..

So we are already +£25M if we get rid of this lot, big ask but it needs doing, the time for tinkering is over!.

P.S I would keep Wilshere purely as he's homegrown and has a passion for the club, he would have to accept back up status though, Szczesny I would keep as well but this doesn't look likely which I find odd.

Lacazette should be a good signing because he's pacy with good movement and a very good finisher. I don't think he's at the elite level of strikers but given our current circumstances he's probably close to being as good as we could have realistically expected to get.

I'm a bit like Wilts-Gooner on this though, if he's in addition to Alexis then he's potentially a great signing, if he's instead of Alexis then I'm not sure where it leaves us. We might have actually gone slightly backwards.

I really like Mahrez and hope we sign him but I'm not sure how both him and Özil would work in the same team. Both very lightweight defensively.

Agree that Özil and Mahrez shouldn't be in the same 11 together. Too powder puff. Not sure I really see the logic in signing Mahrez tbh.

That's what concerns me too. I've long argued that the best teams have balance. If Özil goes I can see the logic of signing Mahrez far more than I can if he stays. A midfield with both Özil and Mahrez seems a bit, to use socrate's word 'lightweight' or to use bromley's term 'powder puff', especially for the game in England. Two highly talented but very inconsistent players who when they turn up are brilliant, but regularly (some would argue more often that not) go missing. Is that what's needed for success in the Premier League? I have genuine doubts.

Mahrez....... can take players out of the game, which appeals to me.

The Ox - I suspect other managers may get more out of him. I think he will listen to people who want to improve him and he wants to get better.

Hi Aussie Gooners, I'm just about to finish my vacation week in beautiful Cairns. Lovely city, so much fun stuff to do.

Glad you enjoyed it and hope you return to Oz to enjoy other areas. Not a bad location to spend winter.

Lots to see and do. We'll be back. Highlight was convincing my wife to do the skydive.

Hi Bernard,

I like Mahrez.

Wenger likes out-to-in wingers, or rather wingers who play on the wrong side to their natural kicking foot so that they can cut inside. Mahrez is great at this.

He's also a bit of a magician with the ball and a great dribbler who can take players out of the game, which appeals to me. He won the PL player of the year trophy two seasons ago so he's top quality when he's on his game.

I could see him and Özil at home against lesser opposition but I'm not sure you could risk both in a big game. It'd be like playing with 9 men defensively.

I'm surprised you like Mahrez when you never took to Özil.

Morning socrates. I'm surprised you like Mahrez when you never took to Özil. To me they're very similar types of player and largely bring both the same benefits and negatives to their teams. Very talented when going forward but adding next to nothing to the defensive side of the game. I'd say in that respect Mahrez might even be a bit worse than Özil. Both can look disinterested and disappear from games, and after seeing so much of them I'd also rate Mahrez as a little worse in that way too. It adds up to them both being inconsistent. Mahrez will of course be cheaper to buy than Özil, but I'd be surprised if that was a significant factor in making you like Mahrez while never appearing to take to Özil.

Hi Bernard,

Mahrez is an old fashioned dribber with a magical left foot who likes to take on his man with little drops of the shoulder, step-overs, changes of pace etc. He likes a shot at goal coming inside from the right wing onto his left foot.

Sometimes I think we get so bogged down with our passing game, especially when teams drop deep and defend with two banks of four, that we need someone who can go past his man and take him out the game, opening up space for others.

I think Mahrez actually suffered a bit at Leicester because they rarely dominated possession, home or away, infact they often had around 30% of the possession and played largely a counter-attacking game. It was good when Mahrez got the ball but that wasn't always that often in matches so his influence was limited. He's have much more of the ball in an Arsenal side.

Özil is a precision passer with fantastic vision and weight of pass but not really a dribbler.

So basically, I see them both as having magical left foots but being quite different in terms of their playing styles. Both are very lightweight defensively though.

Unlike the rest of the forum, or so it seems, I am not too worried about the defensive qualities of either, although Özil's half-arsed tackles are annoying. We never cared too much about Pires' defending.

Hi Bernard,

Mahrez is an old fashioned dribber with a magical left foot who likes to take on his man with little drops of the shoulder, step-overs, changes of pace etc. He likes a shot at goal coming inside from the right wing onto his left foot.

Sometimes I think we get so bogged down with our passing game, especially when teams drop deep and defend with two banks of four, that we need someone who can go past his man and take him out the game, opening up space for others.

I think Mahrez actually suffered a bit at Leicester because they rarely dominated possession, home or away, infact they often had around 30% of the possession and played largely a counter-attacking game. It was good when Mahrez got the ball but that wasn't always that often in matches so his influence was limited. He's have much more of the ball in an Arsenal side.

Özil is a precision passer with fantastic vision and weight of pass but not really a dribbler.

So basically, I see them both as having magical left foots but being quite different in terms of their playing styles. Both are very lightweight defensively though.

Chilean newspaper La Tercera are claiming Sanchez will 'honor his contract'. Assuming that would mean him leaving for free next year. Not sure how reliable La Tercera are, but I would be ok with that outcome if he's set on leaving.

Chilean newspaper La Tercera are claiming Sanchez will 'honor his contract'. Assuming that would mean him leaving for free next year. Not sure how reliable La Tercera are, but I would be ok with that outcome if he's set on leaving.

Glad you enjoyed the sun. If you'd skydived down here you'd probably have turned into a giant hailstone.

From Arsenal's point of view I don't think that's a good option. If he goes into the last year, winding down his contract, I think we'd have an unsettled and distracted player on our hands. That could destabilise the whole squad. I would prefer ideally he signs a new deal, but if he's not willing to do that we should sell. Reluctantly.

SSNews reporting completion of medical for Alex Lacazette.

Looks like we have our man..........................

Don't think it would be that big a problem if Sanchez was to stay on for the final year of his contract. He seems like someone who mostly wants to play football all the time, don't think it's his style to not give it all he's got. Plus, he'll be 29 when the season ends. If he has a poor season it will probably have a big impact on what offers he'll recieve.

The rest of the players knows what it's about. It's professional football, everyone is out there to maximise their careers. As long as we keep strengthening I genuinely don't think it will bother them too much if Sanchez was to leave. Not selling him to City would be a statement that we're their rivals and won't be doing them favours. You can never control what players do when their contracts are up anyway.

It just seems to me that taking £50m now from City, or him going there for nothing in a year, seems a big price to pay for making a statement to City. I'm struggling to think of anything other than winning the league that would end up making it worthwhile.

Bad news. He's got piles and Arsenal are walking away from the deal. Arsene Wenger quoted: ' Well, er, Lacazette has a touch of the Farmer Giles, so we will not be signing him. I feel very sorry for him as he had set his jam tart on joining us, but it is not to be. We could not have him playing a little with the handbrake on.' Lacazette's agent, Emma Royd, was unavailable for comment,

The overrated ginger prince Paul Scholes? Chelsea fans think so. I didn't think he was as good as advertised. I saw very fine player but frankly, not as good as most said he was. It was either believe you lot or my lying eyes. Still, one has to respect even the great (greatest) Vieira saying Scholes was the best midfielder he played against. I saw a player who had an uncanny ability to arrive outside or inside box at the right time and good vision. I never bought the 'he's a bad tackler'adage one bit. He was a nasty player in the tackle and referees coddled him. How can a so called bad tackler How in god's green earth does a known 'bad tackler' admittedly by his own manager get only 4 red cards in his career? Along with 97 yellow cards and such a low number becoming red? His national team career exposed him. For a player who was always mentioned no worse than top 3 or 4 ever in the EPL do so awfully bad in Europe both club and country?

http://www.givemesport.com/1092549-chel ... -III-1sted