Have seen figures that LCFC want 40m for Mahrez, and that Mahrez has asked them to drop the price.
IMO we'd only buy if we lost one or both Sanchez & Ozil.

Also the 40m is possibly the reason we are looking at Turan for 20m.

I don't think Wenger is looking at Mahrez personally. He doesn't usually come out and talk about a player if he's seriously interested in him. Maybe he'll get desperate toward the end of the window and move on him but I think right now talking about him is a smokescreen.

Ricky1985 wrote:

I don't think Wenger is looking at Mahrez personally. He doesn't usually come out and talk about a player if he's seriously interested in him. Maybe he'll get desperate toward the end of the window and move on him but I think right now talking about him is a smokescreen.

I think that the interest is genuine, but a bid would only eventuate IF we lose Sanchez or Ozil and the same applies to the likes of Turan & Forsberg etc (even if I'd prefer Fekir).
That said IMO the priority lays elsewhere - namely CF and CM, and that we need to sign top class in both areas so as to avoid losing Ozil or Sanchez. 

Buying Mahrez would only make sense if Ozil leaves.
Unfortunately for him, Sanchez is the player who is more likely to go.
http://www.bild.de/wa/ll/bild-de/unangemeldet-42925516.bild.html
We seem to be digging in but we all know how these "things" tend to end with our sub-standard negotiating team.
http://sportbild.bild.de/fussball/premier-league/premier-league/sanchez-bayern-korb-wenger-arsenal-oezil-52030770.sport.html
As an aside, i would swap him for Walcott in a heatbeat.

Bold Tone wrote:

Buying Mahrez would only make sense if Ozil leaves.
Unfortunately for him, Sanchez is the player who is more likely to go.
http://www.bild.de/wa/ll/bild-de/unangemeldet-42925516.bild.html
We seem to be digging in but we all know how these thing tend to end with our negotiating team.
http://sportbild.bild.de/fussball/premier-league/premier-league/sanchez-bayern-korb-wenger-arsenal-oezil-52030770.sport.html
As an aside, i would swap him for Walcott in a heatbeat.

I think he's more a replacement for Sanchez as he's a capable goal scorer as well as providing assists, as well as being a good dribbler to take defenders on with ball at feet.
I'd think Turan as more of an Ozil replacement, but if we lose Ozil I don't want a passing playmaker at AM & would rather prefer another attacking AM type who can score and provide assists like Fekir / Mahrez / Lemar.

i.e. Mahrez?
Your post is contradictory.

He'll go to Barca and be the Turan replacement

Mahrez won't go to Barca. Not a chance. He's not even good enough for their bench.

He's good enough for their bench, because their bench isn't good at all. The reason Barcelona have been as great as they have is because they have an excellent XI that's rarely injured.

Their bench is so awful Enrique seldom use it at all.

Most great teams don't use their bench much. I used to think that you need a big squad to compete, but it's really all about having a starting eleven where your 5-6 best players can start 50+ games each season. It's how we've won in the past too. The simple truth is that the invincibles would never have picked up a single trophy if Henry had missed half as many games as van Persie did for us. You look at Ibrahimovic who, up until his recent knee injury at the age of 35, had spent 40 days injured in total in his entire career. That's one of the big reasons he has won so much: all of his teams always had their best player available. That's the kind of consistency you need to win.

Our biggest failure in the last decade or so is to not fully realise this. We've invested incredible amounts of time in players whose only consistency was that they were bound to miss 2-3 months of each season. We've backed the wrong players and used the wrong approach towards teambuilding. At one point we had Cesc, van Persie, Nasri and Arshavin on our books in their prime, and I think they started less than 10 games together.

Pretty much. The few times they started together we could see things such as this:

But that didn't help when we inevitably had to field half a team of amateurs in other fixtures.

Klaus wrote:

Our biggest failure in the last decade or so is to not fully realise this. We've invested incredible amounts of time in players whose only consistency was that they were bound to miss 2-3 months of each season. We've backed the wrong players and used the wrong approach towards teambuilding. At one point we had Cesc, van Persie, Nasri and Arshavin on our books in their prime, and I think they started less than 10 games together.

--------RVP------
Arshavin--Nasri--
--------Cesc------
--Wilshere--Song--

What could have been?

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Pretty much. The few times they started together we could see things such as this:

But that didn't help when we inevitably had to field half a team of amateurs in other fixtures.

I love the look on Pep's face after the goal

Bold Tone wrote:

i.e. Mahrez?
Your post is contradictory.

Not really - I don't see Mahrez as being a direct replacement for Ozil as being an advanced playmaker role, as I see him as being more like Sanchez in style.  If we lose Ozil I don't want a like for like replacement as we have too many players who look to make a pass before anything else.

MistaT wrote:

Klaus wrote:

Our biggest failure in the last decade or so is to not fully realise this. We've invested incredible amounts of time in players whose only consistency was that they were bound to miss 2-3 months of each season. We've backed the wrong players and used the wrong approach towards teambuilding. At one point we had Cesc, van Persie, Nasri and Arshavin on our books in their prime, and I think they started less than 10 games together.

--------RVP------
Arshavin--Nasri--
--------Cesc------
--Wilshere--Song--

What could have been?

Probably the last time we played really good football with any regularity and for most of a match.
Since then IMO we've been a youtube highlights team at best with moments of brilliance more from individuals as opposed to the team.

That side generally played awful football. It was peak side to side.

Fabregas had lost some of his spark by then and had contant injury issues, Nasri only had around 4 months where he was truely effective in his time here and van Persie was still a perma crock who had yet to explode.

Completely agree with Klaus' original point though, a world class player who can play every game at a good level will give you more than 3 very good players who simply have their moments.

goon wrote:

That side generally played awful football. It was peak side to side.

Fabregas had lost some of his spark by then and had contant injury issues, Nasri only had around 4 months where he was truely effective in his time here and van Persie was still a perma crock who had yet to explode.

Completely agree with Klaus' original point though, a world class player who can play every game at a good level will give you more than 3 very good players who simply have their moments.

The squad was poor but IMO that starting line-up wasn't.  It's like too many of the squads post The Invincibles in that the best didn't play together often enough to overcome the short comings of the internal player development policy.
We are a mile away from being able to put together moves like that involving more than 2-3 players, and I still rate Nasri's 2nd goal H v ManU as being the ideal Wengerball goal in terms of retaining possession and working the ball.

If we were really after Mahrez we would have tied this up in a jiffy.

The links to Lemar look more solid so sounds like he is more of a backup option. Unless Wenger wants to sign both and a forward to completely change our front three dynamic!

I'm more inclined to think it is either Lemar or Mahrez. It is good we have a backup option if that is the case. Same with Mbappe & Lacazette, if by hook or crook we manage to sign Mbappe then I think we will drop our interest in Lacazette. That is the way it should be, need to make sure we keep our options open. Too many times we have put all our eggs in one basket and have ended up with nothing.

Says it's just interest for the moment, nothing more. Guy know Mahrez personally apparently.

Would have to think he is 2nd or 3rd option. Should be a pretty easy deal to secure.

I'm in the minority but id love us to sign Mahrez. Proper flair player and would be great for when we have teams penned in

I like Mahrez as well. Gives Shad a good project, too, with those twiggy legs.

It's all fine as long as we don't lose our two best players.

Yep ideally we'd want Mahrez to replace Lucas

You want him to take the role of starting every other cup game?

Ultimately that's why this would be pointless. He's either replacing Sanchez/Ozil or he's coming in as a backup. Unlike Lemar he's not one for the future either.

Mahrez, Lacazette, Sanchez and Ozil is a good front 3 or 4 as you will. I would happily take that into next season.

Goon not do as Lucas was but rather take his spot in the squad. If we are to improve we should have options like him

goon wrote:

You want him to take the role of starting every other cup game?

Ultimately that's why this would be pointless. He's either replacing Sanchez/Ozil or he's coming in as a backup. Unlike Lemar he's not one for the future either.

Our bench is weak. Mahrez strengthens it.

Fuck it. Let's sign Lacazette and Mahrez. Let's get Yoann Gourcuff and Hatem Trabelsi too while we're at it. I'm sure they're still on Wenger's watch list. Yaya is available too. Now would be the perfect time to get him when he moves around like a refridgerator that is being dragged behind a tractor on a newly ploughed potato field.

What an absolute shower of shit this summer is.

----Lacazette-----
Mahrez--------Ozil

5th place here we come.

Mahrez creates bucketloads of chances and isn't afraid to shoot, but honestly, we could have Lemar easily if we put in a proper bid.

If Mahrez can get back to the form a year ago, it's fantastic business for us. Why didn't we push harder for him last season though?

-----------Lacazette
Sanchez------Ozil------Mahrez
-------Xhaka---Jorginho

Klaus wrote:

Fuck it. Let's sign Lacazette and Mahrez. Let's get Yoann Gourcuff and Hatem Trabelsi too while we're at it.

Yeah this is where it's at.