Why Arsenal should splash £20million to sign Ismaila Sarr in January

According to the Mirror, Arsenal are ready to battle Italian giants Inter Milan for £20million-rated Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr. The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the hottest young properties in Europe after some impressive displays for his current club Rennes.

The youngster started his professional career with Ligue 2 club Metz and moved to Rennes in 2017. Since then, the 20-year-old’s eye-catching performances have propelled him to a meteoric rise, making him the subject of interest from top European clubs (h/t Mirror). The Senegalese winger has made a total of 33 appearances for the French outfit across all competitions, scoring 8 goals.

The winger has been involved in all five of Rennes’ games in the Ligue 1 this season and has hit the ground running with a couple of goals. He also scored a goal in his team’s 2-1 triumph on the opening day of the Europa League.

Arsenal have successfully resurrected their Premier League campaign with four consecutive wins after a shocking start to the season. The Gunners have also moved into the top six with a 2-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates on Sunday.

Although the Gunners have looked quite sloppy at the back, they have made up for it to some extent with their build-up play up front. Unai Emery has been able to accommodate both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in his starting line-up and the duo has combined well to score goals while also creating opportunities.

Alex Iwobi started the game against Chelsea and scored a goal and followed it up with another impressive performance in the Europa League. However, he has largely been used as an understudy to Aubameyang on the left-wing and is yet to cement his place in the team.

Now, coming back to the youngster, his incredible pace and fantastic dribbling skills have made the Senegalese winger a hot property in Europe. He has a decent technique which allows him to maintain close control and lets him run comfortably with the ball at his feet. He rarely seems to let himself down in crucial positions with heavy touches.

His mesmerizing dribbles allow him to weave his way past the defenders through narrow spaces. Furthermore, Sarr’s incredible pace could be an indispensable weapon for Arsenal to launch counter-attacks and catch the opposition flat-footed.

A versatile player capable of playing on both sides of the midfield, Sarr has the ability to link the play with his teammates with short, quick and elegant touches. When deployed in his preferred left-winger’s position, Sarr can beat the defenders with his pace and often cuts inside with his stronger right foot to combine with the other attackers. He is unafraid to test the goalkeeper with shots from the edge of the box.

 

Sarr is equally adept at playing the role of a right-winger, where he tends to drive forward with blistering pace and plays it short to link with the other attackers. The 20-year-old never shies away from taking on defenders with lung-busting solo runs and relies on his trickery to beat them. Although he has a lean physique, he is excellent at shielding the ball from his markers, making it difficult to dispossess him.

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Sarr’s decision-making and finishing are not of the highest quality but those attributes develop with age. Although he is still in the developmental phase of his career, he has shown strong signs of brilliance and Arsenal should not hesitate to table a handsome bid for the youngster. His presence will not only allow Aubameyang to spearhead the attack but will also provide cover and competition for the likes of Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck.

Hence, Arsenal should go all out to sign the talented winger in January.