‘He’ll be a top striker’: Mbappe says star who reportedly snubbed Arsenal this year is ‘one of the best’
Kylian Mbappe has lavished praise on Serie A star Dusan Vlahovic, a player who was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in January this year.
After Mikel Arteta decided he was done with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal wanted a new striker. The big name on their transfer wish list was Vlahvoic, who was at Fiorentina at the time.
Reports revealed in January that the Gunners pushed really hard to sign the Serbian. Arteta’s side even had a £58 million bid accepted by Fiorentina, but a move did not materialise.
Vlahovic rejected a move to Arsenal as he wanted to join Juventus. After days of negotiations, he secured his dream move to Turin, leaving the Gunners without a replacement for Aubameyang in the second half of last season.
Kylian Mbappe hails 2022 Arsenal target Dusan Vlahovic
Paris Saint-Germain took on Juventus in the Champions League last night and the French champions picked up a 2-1 victory thanks to a fantastic brace from Mbappe.
All eyes were on the PSG superstar going into the game last night, but Mbappe had his eye on one Juventus player – Vlahovic. The French superstar heaped praise on the Serbian in the build-up to the game and even predicted that he’ll become a top striker in the coming years.
Mbappe said about Vlahovic, as quoted by Football Italia: “Vlahovic is a quality striker, he is one of the best of his generation. He can do much better going forward, he has so much to give.
“He has already shown so much, Only time will tell, but I don’t think it is a big risk for me to say that he will be a top striker in the coming years.”
Our View:
Arsenal have Gabriel Jesus at the Emirates now and the Brazilian has been magnificent.
The Gunners have no interest in signing a new striker anytime soon, but one can only wonder what would’ve happened if Vlahovic had agreed to join Arteta’s side in January.
Arsenal failed to finish in the top-four last season and the biggest reason for that is their strikers’ failure to score regularly. Alexandre Lacazette finished last season with just four goals in the Premier League, while Eddie Nketiah found the net on five occasions in the league.
If Vlahovic had joined Arsenal in January, maybe, just maybe, the Gunners would’ve finished inside the top-four.
