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Emmanuel Petit urges Arsenal to make a late swoop for Riyad Mahrez

Petit urges Arsenal to move for Mahrez
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Emmanuel Petit tells Arsenal that they need Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez in their squad.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has called on the club to make a late move for Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez.

The Algerian international made it clear at the end of last season that he wants to leave the Foxes, but so far the club have not accepted any bids.

Roma were thought to be the frontrunners for Mahrez's signature, but the Italian outfit withdrew their interest earlier this month after having a £30m bid turned down.

Petit believes that the winger, who scored 17 goals and produced 11 assists in Leicester's Premier League-winning season, fits the bill at Arsenal.

"He knows the Premier League by heart, and has an incredible impact in it, "Petit told SFR Sport. "He's the kind of player sorely lacking for Arsenal down the right.

"I say stop focusing on the problems at the back. I'm among those who think the further away the ball is from your goal, the less chance you have of conceding a goal. And the more players you have who are capable of holding on to the ball. How many players are there in world football of that profile?

"If I were a coach I'd love to have dribblers in my team - quick, technically good, capable of saying [to a defender], "I'm going to humiliate you with two feints, two step-overs'."

Arsenal have signed Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette so far this summer.

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Danielle Joynson
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3Chelsea18105338211735
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1810442419534
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle188553021929
6Bournemouth188552721629
7Manchester CityMan City188463026428
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10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton186842726126
11Brentford187383232024
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs1872939261323
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham186572330-723
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd186482124-322
15Everton173861522-717
16Crystal Palace183871826-817
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1843112940-1115
18Leicester CityLeicester1835102240-1814
19Ipswich TownIpswich1826101633-1712
20Southampton1813141137-266


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