Arsenal opinion: Why Arsenal shouldn’t sign Ismaila Sarr
The Sun has reported that Arsenal made immediate contact with Rennes for a move for Ismaila Sarr. The 21-year-old impressed over the two legs in the Europa League last 16, even scoring a key goal in the first leg.
However, while Rennes struggled against both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the second leg, Sarr was a bright spot. Sarr’s pace and agility proved to be lethal on the counter and Arsenal’s only saving grace was the fact that his own teammates were struggling.
That ability is something that Arsenal have missed this season, especially in the wide positions. While both Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have done relatively well, they are the club’s only options.
That has created a few problems over the last few months, with Aubameyang shifting out wide and that is a waste of the Gabonese striker’s talents.
However, despite all their issues, signing Ismaila Sarr will not help the club in the long-term. While Sarr is very very quick off the mark, the 21-year-old is far from a finished product.
At the moment, he’s a raw player who depends far too much on his searing speed and agility to help him beat opponents.
Not technically strong or even creative in the final third, Sarr’s ability would only be useful on the counter-attack. Though he is more than capable of scoring a decent number of goals, Sarr gets flustered very easily.
That has affected the game on more than one occasion, with the 21-year-old dissappering into the abyss on more than one occasion. What Arsenal really need at this point of time is a finished product and more so, someone in their prime or itching towards it. A player in the age range of 23-26 will help them achieve their goals of returning to the Champions League.
Ismail Sarr, on the other hand, is a bright prospect but this is his first season where he has consistently scored or assisted goals. As mentioned, he is far from the finished product and with time, that should change and it is then that Arsenal have to make a move.
What Sarr needs at the moment is another season with Rennes before he makes a big move abroad. It will allow him to fine-tune his abilities, and more so, bulk up a little before he shifts to a more physical league.
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Conclusion
At the moment, Ismaila Sarr isn’t the player that Arsenal need. A move to the Premier League could be good for him but for a player that depends heavily on his speed and agility, the physical and high-octane English top tier could adversely affect him.