Riyad Mahrez to Arsenal: Arsene Wenger hopeful Leicester ace will make big impact – report

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger is pushing ahead with a deal for Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez and hopes the Algeria international can rediscover his best form, reports claim.
Arsenal tried to sign Mahrez from Leicester last summer but the Foxes held firm and ultimately kept their star asset.

However, he was unable to replicate the form of the 2015/2016 season where he helped inspire Leicester to the most surprising Premier League title win in history.

Before last season, Mahrez hit 18 goals and was named as the PFA Player of the Year.

But that tally dropped to 10 for the campaign last year as he struggled under both Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare.

Reports have claimed that Arsenal have already ‘signed’ the player, and an announcement is due imminently.
This has also been echoed by disgraced pundit Richard Keys, who reckons a deal for the Algeria international will pave the way for Alexis Sanchez to join Manchester City.




And the Daily Mail claim Arsenal are hoping to sign Mahrez with Wenger optimistic a change of scene will bring out the best in him.

The 26-year-old made it clear to Leicester this summer that he wanted to leave the King Power Stadium.

And the player himself, speaking in March, revealed he first thought about quitting a year ago.

“It was a weird summer for me,” Mahrez said.
“I was everywhere. Everyone was saying ‘here, here or there.’

“Me, I didn’t know what to do. Then I chose to stay.

“At first, I wanted to go. And then I was thinking, ‘I would prefer to stay’.

“When you do a season like I did, you start thinking, ‘You have to take this train, maybe it won’t come again.’

“There’s big clubs, you don’t know what’s going to happen the following season, if they will come back for you. I chose to stay. I didn’t regret it.”

Source:www.express.co.uk