Arsenal Transfer Link with Riyad Mahrez Overshadows Draw with Lens

Arsenal’s 1-1 friendly match against Lens on Friday was seemingly an innocuous occasion. Although Gunners fans will have been understandably excited to see their team back in action, this was not a match with any particular importance attached to it.

However, if—as reports suggest—it was the scene of transfer talks for Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez, it could come to be regarded as a significant day.

Eurosport reported that Arsenal used the match in Lens to meet with Mahrez’s agent, Kamel Bengougam. What’s more, the outlet stated the player has agreed to move to the Emirates Stadium:

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Riyad Mahrez is likely to join Arsenal, according to our colleagues in France. [Manager] Arsene Wenger wants the Algerian, who starred for Leicester in their title win last season, to bolster his forward line which already includes Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, and Theo Walcott. The price is reportedly around the €50m mark and the move is set to happen imminently.

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That would be a huge coup for Arsenal. Mahrez was arguably the outstanding player in last season’s Premier League and was named the PFA Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. 

Perhaps Wenger was intimating at a move of this scale when he told the club's official website the following after the game:

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We are very active. If we find the right candidates then we will spend the big money. We have already spent big, Until now, nobody has spent more on a transfer than we have in this country. Even if [Paul] Pogba might fly from Italy to England today, I don’t know. ... Overall we have made a big investment already but we are active.

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Those comments were initially interpreted as an attempt to temper the disquiet among Arsenal’s disgruntled fanbase. However, perhaps Wenger was hinting at something more specific.

It wouldn’t be the first time Arsenal have tried to prise a player away from the Premier League champions this summer. Prior to Euro 2016, Wenger made an ill-fated bid to make Jamie Vardy his new centre-forward. The England international chose to stay with Leicester, but perhaps Mahrez will not prove to be quite so loyal. 

Although Arsenal still need a new striker, they would benefit hugely from the arrival of an attacking midfielder such as Mahrez. What the Gunners need more than anything is goals, and the Algerian is capable of providing that. Last season, he scored 17 goals in 37 Premier League games. From a midfield position, that’s an outstanding return. He’s creative too, with 11 assists to his name in 2015/16.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

If Mahrez were to arrive, he’d almost certainly take up the position on the right-hand side of Arsenal’s midfield. The Gunners tend to play with two deep-lying midfielders and three further ahead. The Algerian showed at Leicester he’s at his best on the right, when he is able to cut in on his preferred left foot.

The truth is no one has been able to nail down that position as their own at Arsenal for some time. The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Joel Campbell have all had spells there without ever quite locking it up.

Against Lens, there were auditions for the role from two candidates with varying degrees of success. Theo Walcott began the game on the right flank, which was interesting given last season he was used almost exclusively as a centre-forward.

After a restful summer, Walcott looked sharper than many of his team-mates. He will have been devastated to miss out on England’s Euro 2016 squad, but Wenger must hope he can channel that frustration into positive performances at club level.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

In the second half, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who played from the right. Wenger clearly has huge faith in the young Englishman—he selected him for the home tie against Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 last season—but his 2015/16 campaign was marred by injury and inconsistency.

However, his talent is not in question. The 22-year-old showed off his excellent technical ability with an outrageous finish for Arsenal’s late equaliser. Having been played in on goal, he looked up before planting an expert chip over the stranded Lens goalkeeper and into the top corner. 

That’s precisely the sort of thing Arsenal will be looking for Oxlade-Chamberlain to produce when the competitive season begins. All too often, he flatters to deceive, failing to translate his ability into end product. It is his inability to be a regular provider and scorer of goals that is potentially forcing Arsenal into a move for Mahrez. 

While the result of the Lens game was of little consequence, it was interesting to see the young players included in Wenger’s squad.

Alex Iwobi looked impressively mature, suggesting he is ready to play a major part next season. However, there were also cameos for some less familiar names. Polish teenager Krystian Bielik’s commanding performance indicates he may have a big future, while Chris Willock and Chuba Akpom showed flashes of speed and skill to excite the Arsenal faithful.

However, this was not a particularly strong performance. Lens are two weeks ahead of Arsenal in their pre-season preparations, and it showed. The Gunners came off second best in plenty of challenges as they felt their way back into a competitive mindset.

However, they appeared to come through the match without any major injuries, and players got some crucial game time under their belts. That will have been Wenger’s main concern.

He may also have had other things on his mind. If Arsenal do end up landing Mahrez, Wenger may come to remember this particular friendly very fondly indeed.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.