In our brand new feature, our writers debate where the Monaco striker should play his football next season…
Betway Insider writers Adam Drury and Jack Green discuss the pros and cons – for both potential bidders and the player himself – of Kylian Mpbappe leaving Monaco for a world-record fee this summer.
Who do you agree with? Vote at the bottom.
Adam: Right, Jack, we’re both KyliFans. He’s fantastic. But I’m not sure it would do anyone much good to shell out £100m on him so soon into his first-team career….
Jack: Adam, as the only person I know who loves Mbappe as much as me, I’m shocked you don’t think he’s worth the money.
I can’t remember another 18-year-old who combines such speed, strength and composure, and he’s already proven in the Champions League that he’s capable of playing at the absolute top level. Why shouldn’t the biggest clubs in the world do – and spend – all they can to get him?
Adam: I’m not disputing his class. But think about the ramifications of a move. For starters, which club capable of spending £100m could guarantee him the first-team football he needs to be all that he can be?
Real Madrid have attackers falling over themselves, Barcelona have no room in their front three, and both Manchester clubs have young strikers of their own to worry about.
I know money’s no object these days, but would you really want your club to go big on a player they don’t strictly need, blocking the development of others?
Jack: You’re right, I’d never advocate him joining either Manchester club, if only for selfish reasons as an Arsenal supporter.
Thinking long-term, though, there are plenty of landing spots for Mbappe.
Real’s aging front line needs a revamp, and I’d argue that he’s good enough to start ahead of Karim Benzema immediately.
Similarly, is there a better situation for a young striker than learning from Messi and Suarez at Barcelona?
A PSG move also makes perfect sense, and why would Chelsea spend upwards of £75m on Romelu Lukaku when they can pick up a much better prospect instead?
Adam: Real’s more tangible interest in Eden Hazard leads me to believe that they now see Cristiano Ronaldo as a striker, which makes sense to me.
A mentoring job from Ronaldo or Messi might work beautifully on Football Manager, but this is the real world, and Mbappe should be playing regularly.
I don’t see Chelsea spending £100m on an 18-year-old who has played four months of first-team football. I just don’t. They’re too pragmatic.
Arsenal, meanwhile, won’t spend £100m on anybody. And I can’t even contemplate a soul-destroying move to PSG.
I just don’t think that any of these moves make enough sense.
And even if it did, why do it now, when he’s so young?
If we’re talking about £100m already, then – perhaps naively – I don’t see his value increasing appreciably in another year.
We’ve seen what the pressure of a world-record move is doing to Gareth Bale – who was far more established when he moved.
In four seasons he’s done OK, but is still very much under the microscope. You have to have a real personality and aura not to let these figures affect you.
How can you be sure that a £100m-heavy Mbappe is as dangerous as a just-go-out-and-relax Mbappe?
Jack: Sorry to tell you, Adam, but you are being naive.
It’s time to accept that these massive deals are about to become the norm for highly-coveted players.
Just a few years ago £100m seemed an unthinkable amount, but now there are great, but not exceptional, footballers like Gonzalo Higuain and Paul Pogba moving for £75m+.
The biggest clubs are now in a position where they can take the hit of that kind of fee and not even flinch.
Likewise, Monaco have no need to sell Mbappe. They can set a huge asking price and be confident that someone will pay it.
If Mbappe has another excellent season, we could feasibly be back here in a year’s time debating whether he should be the world’s first £150 or £200m player.
That’s why – with club revenues around Europe soaring and competition for transfer targets only intensifying – you take the risk now.
And, on your final point: did you see his finish against Dortmund? This lad loves pressure.
Adam: I just worry that he might be Pogba-fied. Last season, everything Pogba did well was classy-Vine material.
This season, it’s every slip up. That’s the power of a transfer fee. He’s so lovely, I don’t want everyone to go all cynical on him.
The same will happen to Antoine Griezmann if he goes to Manchester United this summer. And these guys are far more established.
Don’t you think it’s too soon to know that Mbappe can cope with that life? Scoring goals for Monaco for four months can never prove that.
Jack: There’s risk involved in any transfer, though.
Of course, there’s a chance he won’t become the all-conquering Ballon d’Or winner we hope he will be.
But for a club like Real Madrid, whose entire brand is predicated on having the best players in the world, it’s surely a chance worth taking.
After all, this isn’t a punt on a player who could one day come good.
If Mbappe is already one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers at 18, who knows what he could become?
