Arsenal have a small transfer kitty to operate with ahead of the 2019-20 Premier League season, with Unai Emery apparently given a transfer budget of just £40 million. The Gunners can only buy a handful of players, and the latest player they have been linked with is Lyon’s Nabil Fekir. The French international, who is entering the final year of his contract at Lyon, can reportedly be bought for just £30 million, according to Mirror.
Liverpool were very close to signing Fekir last season but pulled out of a deal due to concerns regarding Fekir’s past injury. The 25-year-old, who has been a very important player for Lyon over the last few years, could be the player that the Gunners sign over Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, who is another player that Emery is interested in but face an uphill task in attempting to match Palace’s valuation of their star man.
Since making his Lyon debut in 2013, Fekir has scored 69 goals and has provided 46 assists in 193 matches, while also being a part of the French national team that won the 2018 World Cup.
Ideal replacement for Aaron Ramsey?
The Gunners need to strengthen all over the pitch, following the departures of Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichtsteiner, as well as to atone for their lack of quality in key areas of the squad. Unai Emery has to work on a small budget which means that they will have to target players who are free agents or in the last year of their contracts.
Fekir is a player who has the potential to be a world-class footballer thanks to his phenomenal dribbling, crossing, passing ability and overall attacking play. The Frenchman is an all-action attacking midfielder who likes to take opposition defenders on, make runs with and without the ball, while also shooting from distance.
He can be a great link player between attack and midfield, while also chipping in with vital goals. Fekir could be the ideal replacement for Aaron Ramsey, who was perhaps Arsenal’s most important midfielder over the last few years. In the 2018-19 season, Fekir completed 85.2% of all his passes, while averaging 3.1 shots per game for Lyon.
With compatriot Alexandre Lacazette, with whom he played for many years at Lyon, at Arsenal, Fekir could renew that partnership which could yield a lot of goals for the Gunners.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder is a steal at £30 million, as he looks to move away from Lyon and improve further in the coming seasons.
