Arsene Wenger lauds 25-year-old who snubbed move to Arsenal, after £92m bid

Follow us on Google Discover

Some Arsenal fans might’ve watched on enviously as one of their past targets ran rings around a very good Liverpool team last night.

Liverpool won 3-2 away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

But a certain Thomas Lemar, who was linked with a move to Arsenal under Arsene Wenger’s reign, was one of the best players on the park.

The Premier League side couldn’t live with the French attacker during a first half which saw Atleti claw back a two-goal deficit to ensure parity at the halfway point.

The 25-year-old, who played a huge role in the hosts’ first goal, was a nightmare for Reds’ defenders.

And Wenger, who had a £92 million bid rejected four years ago by the player, showered praise on him to BeIN Sport: “You have to give credit to Atletico Madrid and especially Lemar. You see on this occasion is that tonight, in one-on-one, he was great. He’s getting important for that team.”

Pepe

The reason why Arsenal supporters might’ve been a bit jealous is because, well, this was a performance that they would all love to see from Nicholas Pepe every now and again.

Two years after the failed club-record move for Lemar- a Monaco player at the time – the Gunners made Pepe their most expensive player in history after splashing out £72 million to take him from Lille.

But the 26-year-old’s relatively poor display against Crystal Palace on Monday night was another reminder that he’s miles off the standard expected of him originally.

They are both similar types of players but the fact that one has just dazzled against Liverpool in the Champions League, and the other struggles at home against Palace, has to suggest that Lemar is probably the more accomplished footballer.