Arsenal should sign Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez before the end of the summer transfer window due to the lack of quality in the rest of their wide players, says Emmanuel Petit.
In what could be taken as a thinly-veiled dig at Theo Walcott in particular, the former Gunners midfielder said Mahrez would be an upgrade on the current crop of ‘guys who run quickly’ but ‘in a straight line’.
Mahrez shone for Leicester two seasons ago as they claimed a shock Premier League title win, picking up the PFA Player of the Year award in the process.
Arsenal showed some interest the following summer and again this year, while big names like Liverpool, Barcelona and Roma have also been linked with the Algerian this year.
Still, the Foxes star remains at the King Power Stadium with the transfer deadline creeping closer, and Petit has called on his old side to make their move.
‘He knows the Premier League by heart, and has an incredible impact in it,’ Petit told SFR Sport. ‘He’s the kind of player sorely lacking for Arsenal down the right.
‘I say stop focusing on the problems at the back. I’m among those who think the further away the ball is from your goal, the less chance you have of conceding a goal. And the more players you have who are capable of holding on to the ball… How many players are there in world football of that profile?
‘If I were a coach I’d love to have dribblers in my team – quick, technically good, capable of saying (to a defender), “I’m going to humiliate you with two feints, two step-overs.”
‘There aren’t many dribblers. Arsenal only have one, that’s Alexis Sanchez. They have a lot of guys who run quickly, but they run in a straight line.’
Sanchez starred for Arsenal last term and was seen as carrying the team somewhat, while players like Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been criticised for failing to develop their games despite plenty of opportunities.
Walcott in particular has often been singled out for being one-dimensional and relying on pace alone due to a lack of a ‘footballing brain’, which Petit seems to be referring to again in his dig at the team’s current options out wide.
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