Call me crazy, but I personally would not want to see Kylian Mbappe at Arsenal. There is no denying that Mbappe is a brilliant footballer, and his abilities could align him with Erling Haaland to become the inheritors of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s top-of-the-footballing-pyramid status for the next generation.
The reason I say ‘could align him’ is the same reason why my desire to see Arsenal step into the race for Mbappe. Ironically, this story comes out just days after footage of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was released, showing the Gabon forward alluding to Mikel Arteta being unable to manage “big characters”.
The reason why this is relevant is it links to Mbappe’s current controversy with his club PSG. According to Marca in Spain, Mbappe’s relationship is ‘completely broken’.
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Despite the Frenchman wanting a move to Real Madrid, PSG have reportedly refused to open the door to the Spanish capital meaning a switch to the Premier League is the most likely destination. The player’s attitude has been brought into question this season, becoming most blatantly evident in the 5-2 win over Montpellier.
Summer signing Vitinha was seen bringing the ball out of the back, and instead of passing to Mbappe free on the left, he instead played the ball to Lionel Messi on the right. Seen at the bottom of the screen, Mbappe throws his arms up in the air and stops running, trudging forward instead.
The irony was the move progressed to a low-driven cross that, had Mbappe continued his run, would have seen him surely found open for a goal. In what was quite an unbelievable piece of footage, it outlined the mindset of the Frenchman.
With his eyes seemingly set on a move to Real Madrid, would bringing a player in with his focus on his future exit to Los Blancos be the best idea? Probably not.
Aubameyang said in a video on the A Jewellers YouTube channel: "But to manage big characters or big players, he can't deal with it. He needs some young players. They don't say anything, they listen."
Is Kylian Mbappe a "big character?" Well, the definition is subjective, but it seems the term is used to disguise what is, in my view, at least, a disruptive figure.
Arteta has done well to move on players like Aubameyang, who has had a documented series of disciplinary breaches. The Spaniard wants a motivated group of players, all singing from the same hymn sheet.
Would Kylian Mbappe fall into that category, or would he fall into the satirically labelled "big characters"? Well, based on what has been seen, the PSG wantaway seems to be one of the latter, and it is this which deters me from jumping at the idea.
Would he score goals and improve the team from a footballing perspective? Most certainly.
Is it worth compromising the principles that have taken the best part of nearly three years to mould and turn this side into a team looking well above just a Champions League qualification spot? Most certainly not.
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