Rafael van der Vaart says ‘incredible’ Arsenal target should’ve actually been as good as Kylian Mbappe now

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Arsenal’s summer transfer window turned out to be an interesting one as Mikel Arteta worked hard to fine-tune his squad.

Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino were their major signings on permanent deals, while Raheem Sterling and Neto sealed deadline-day loan moves to the club.

While four players came through the door at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners also failed to snap up some of their biggest targets for various reasons.

Arsenal wanted Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, but the Slovenian striker opted to stay with the Bundesliga club to continue his development.

Another player linked with Arsenal was Leroy Sane. However, they were unable to complete the deal as Bayern Munich couldn’t sign a replacement, having missed out on both Xavi Simons and Desire Doue.

Now, Rafael van der Vaart has made an interesting claim on the German international, who he believes is yet to make the most of his outrageous potential.

Van der Vaart feels Leroy Sane should be on par with Kylian Mbappe

While the Dutchman acknowledged Sane’s ‘incredible’ qualities, he believes the 28-year-old should have been as good as Kylian Mbappe, who is one of the best players in world football currently.

“From my point of view, he only uses 20 percent of his incredible qualities,” Van der Vaart said in an interview with Ran as relayed by Sky Germany.

“I hope that he wakes up at some point and that someone kicks him in the a**. You have to imagine what happens when he really puts his foot down.

“He is 28 years old now. I think he should have been at Kylian Mbappe’s level for a long time.”

Why did Arsenal chase Sane?

Arsenal were keen to add another attacker to their squad and that eventually turned out to be Sterling on loan.

However, the Englishman was more of an opportunistic loan deal late in the transfer window and not a priority.

As for Sane, Arteta could have felt his arrival would allow him to rest Bukayo Saka, with the England international the only out-and-out right winger in the squad currently.

Additionally, Sane has that x-factor about him and is capable of winning games on his own, a quality some of the other Arsenal attackers lack currently.

Arteta worked with Sane during their time together at Manchester City and knows the player well, so it remains to be seen if Arsenal rekindle a move for the German international in the future.

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