Spending £20 million on a 29-year-old striker whose best asset is speed can't have been too far behind a holiday with Jose Mourinho in a list of things which Arsene Wenger would never do.
As far as re-sale value goes, there is none, which in itself makes it a very un-Wenger thing to do, but if rumours are to be believed, then the notoriously-frugal French manager has indeed activated Jamie Vardy's release clause.
In fact, Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri confirmed as much on Saturday, via The Independent - but is Wenger looking at it like a bargain? If his comments in December are anything to go by, then yes.
Quoted by The Independent six months ago, the 66-year-old said that Vardy - whose 24 Premier League goals this past season helped the Foxes win a fairytale title - was worth £30 million.
“Yes he is worth £30m, because he is the best goal-scorer in the league,” Wenger said of Vardy, who finished one goal behind Tottenham's Harry Kane in the Golden Boot stakes.
“You have many players under him who have been paid much more, and who don’t score that number of goals. Without a doubt, he is worth that money today.”
But is he worth it? Perhaps on the face of it, but once his speed deserts him then Vardy - who turns 30 in January - may not be the same animal who ripped up the division over the past nine months.
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Still, it perhaps shows that Wenger has learnt from his mistakes and is willing to speculate to accumulate. Vardy would become Arsenal's second summer signing already following the arrival of Granit Xhaka for £35 million.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech was Arsenal's only signing last summer, before Wenger's side finished second behind Vardy's Leicester in May, 10 points behind the Foxes.
Will they sign Vardy
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