In the first few months of the 2019/20 campaign, few players were playing to the level of Memphis Depay at Lyon.
The former Manchester United winger netted nine goals and assisted a further two in Ligue 1, while also scoring five goals in five appearances in the Champions League group stage. Overall, he made 16 goal contributions in 23 starts for Lyon.
Then, in the middle of December, his season finished prematurely after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in a league match against Rennes.
Thereafter, Lyon struggled to a seventh place finish in Ligue 1, with the competition ending after 28 games following the coronavirus pandemic.
The only way they can qualify for the Champions League now is by winning the tournament, and should they fail to do so, they will need to sell some of their prize assets.
Even though Memphis has been injured, his scintillating form in the first portion of the season still makes him a wanted man, particularly by Arsenal, according to reports emerging this week.
Le 10 Sport suggests that Mikel Arteta sees the Dutchman as an ideal replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette should either of them leave the Emirates this summer.
With his contract due to expire in 2021, Memphis could be available for as little as £20m.
Depay v Arsenal attackers
As Memphis has played less games than his Arsenal counterparts this season, we'll look at his average stats P90 minutes (league matches only) and we can see he compares favourable in most metrics.
League performance 19/20
| Stat | Depay | Aubameyang | Pepe | Lacazette |
| Non-Pen Contributions P90 | 0.88 | 0.59 | 0.52 | 0.63 |
| Completed Dribbles P90 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 1.2 |
| Key Passes P90 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Big Chances Created | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Shots P90 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.9 |
| xG+xA P90 | 0.64 | 0.58 | 0.48 | 0.6 |
| *League minutes only |
As you can see from the table above, Depay outperforms all three main Arsenal forwards in all of these metrics. Relative strength of competition in Ligue 1 versus Premier League left to one side, the Dutchman's 0.88 non-penalty contributions P90 is well clear of the Gunners trio.
Depay's multi-functional nature both as a wide player, playmaker and indeed central forward, where he featured for the Dutch national team in qualifying (and provided five goals and five assists) makes him a valuable asset. He completes more dribbles and makes more Key Passes than the Arsenal players, which his xG+xA combined remains ahead of all three.
Depay is central to everything that Lyon do and whether he would be allowed that freedom at Arsenal, with the other attacking talent available, remains unclear, but he has matured since his time at Manchester United and has an improved temperament, meaning those concerns about a return to England can largely be dispelled.
Even though he could agree on a move away from Lyon this summer, it would appear the 26-year-old hasn't played his final game for the club, with president Jean-Michel Aulas confirming his availability for the upcoming Coupe de la Ligue final against PSG and the Champions League last-16 second-leg clash against Juventus.
Aulas said: “He will play in the finals that await us.
But he added: “There will be departures and we’re going to have to make choices because we’ve already got more than 30 players. We’ll have to let some go, loan others, and we’re going to have to find compromises to have a good team."
The main concern would be the serious injury that Depay sustained in December. Is he the same dynamic player that has been so positive for Lyon in Ligue 1? Or will the recovery impact what kind of player he becomes?
PE Aubameyang 
Alexandre Lacazette 
Nicolas Pépé 
Arsenal 
Man Utd 
