According to the Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger has placed Manchester United winger Anthony Martial on his wish list. The Arsenal boss apparently sees the French goalscorer as a cheaper alternative to Kylian Mbappe, who, let’s face it, won’t be wearing an Arsenal shirt anytime soon.
When Martial came to United for a significant sum the media dismissed him as a “waste of money” before he even kicked a ball. Then an outstanding debut season followed as Martial became Louis van Gaal’s most important player, but unfortunately, under Jose Mourinho he has regressed.
However, in his defence, Martial missed out on pre-season training with the club after France reached the final of Euro 2016 which resulted in his confidence taking a hit after losing his place in the side to Dimirti Payet.
On return to England, Martial was confronted with the details of the break up his child’s mother in the press. She sold the story leaving personal matters in the public domain.
This was a lot to take for a 20-year-old lad and it took a toll on his form so Mourinho was left with no other choice but to drop him. The manager was open about Martial no longer being a frequent starter in the team, giving several media outlets the opportunity to speculate, although there is little to suggest the Portuguese boss wants Martial sold.
But would a move to Arsenal benefit Martial? It would certainly benefit the club, but I’m not so sure about the player.
So often held to ransom by their star players, Arsenal struggle to take advantage of transfer windows and settle for next best when the season comes around. Alexis Sanchez is currently disrupting the club’s activity in the market while he contemplates a move to Bayern Munich or Manchester City, showing no remorse for the club’s situation and inevitable need to replace him this summer.
Wenger is desperate for another league title before his reign as Arsenal manager ends, presumably in two years time, but United or Mourinho aren’t going to aid that quest by selling a player like Martial. There is personal animosity between both managers, which explains why the Daily Mail suggests that the Gunners will ask for negotiations to be conducted above manager level.
Ha.
Imagine to the upheaval that would cause with the manager. The club going behind Mourinho’s back to sell Martial to Arsenal.
Martial is popular among United fans and they will be hoping that Mourinho’s handling of this player produces the same results as it did with Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian was left out of the side for months following his woeful 45 minutes in the Manchester derby. He returned to the side and was much improved before Mourinho revealed he was protecting the player when not playing him.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, Martial has been directly involved in 25 Premier League goals; more than any other United player. That’s 15 goal and 10 assists. If he can rediscover such form with a full pre-season under his belt, there’s no reason why Martial won’t be spoken about in the same breath as Mbappe.
