Three reasons Arsenal should sign Nabil Fekir this summer

Nabil Fekir

Three reasons Arsenal should sign Nabil Fekir this summer

If there's one thing Arsenal don't need more of, it's flair players likely to blow hot and cold to slot into an already inconsistent front three - right? 

Wrong - especially if said flair player's name is Nabil Fekir.

The Frenchman has become the latest player to be linked with a summer move to North London, with his name identified as a potential Plan B should Real Madrid slam the door on a permanent move for Martin Odegaard.

Fekir's name was mentioned in dispatches while he was at Lyon but a move across the Channel never transpired and he instead switched to Real Betis.

Two years on, could the time now be right for him to pitch up at the Emirates? We reckon so - and here's why.

X-FACTOR

Fekir burst on to the scene in the 2014/15 campaign, scoring 15 goals for Lyon and earning Ligue 1's young player of the year award.

A knee ligament injury halted his progress but he continued the find the net regularly upon his return, peaking with a 23-goal season in 2017/18.

He may not have been as prolific in La Liga thus far but it is the quality of his strikes, as well as the quantity, which stand out.

Take the final game before the international break as an example. Not a lot looked on when he picked the ball up just inside the Levante half but a swift turn, express change of pace and slip through the goalkeeper's legs later, Betis were 1-0 up.

It wasn't quite Thierry Henry at the Bernabeu all those years ago but it wasn't a million miles off. You can't judge a player on one good goal, of course. But it was a sign of the ability the 27-year-old has in his locker and proved a devastating combination of skill, intelligence and end product.

COMPETITION FOR PLACES

Arsenal have no shortage of options to occupy the wide spot in a front three but Fekir's arrival could spur them on to new heights.

The Frenchman loves to go at players and averages 3.2 successful dribbles per 90 minutes this season - more than double the tallies of Odegaard, Nicolas Pepe, Willian and Emile Smith Rowe.

That is not the only statistic which results favourably for Fekir. Planet Football have calculated that he averages 3.5 shots inside the area per match this season, more than any Arsenal player, while his tally of five assists would put him joint-top of the Gunners' list.

He is the sort of player who will get fans off their seats when they are allowed back inside the Emirates as well as increasing the options at Mikel Arteta's disposal in wide areas.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Fekir reportedly has a £77m release clause - and if that were the fee Arsenal were faced with paying, this would be a very different article.

But Goal.com report that Betis are likely to accept a far lower fee as they look to offload players to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps down as far as £26m.

While still a sizeable investment, in today's inflated market - it would be scarcely more than Sheffield United paid for Rhian Brewster - it represents a bit of a snip for a player of Fekir's class.

There would also be the added bonus of snatching him from under the noses of Liverpool and Manchester United, both of whom are reportedly sniffing around.

Arsenal used to be synonymous with providing opportunities for French stars to strut their stuff in the Premier League - Fekir could be the latest to prove worthy of the same investment.

Picture: Getty Images

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