DEAL COMPLETED: Arsenal completes another major transfer signing as the creative midfielder join the Gunners on six-years deal- He’s Martin Odegaard’s replacement
It’s been an interesting summer for Arsenal so far.
On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side have left a lot to be desired with wins over AC Milan and Newcastle United, but losses against Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal.
However, off the pitch, it would be fair to say that Andrea Berta and his team have exceeded expectations so far with smart depth additions and a couple of big-money deals for Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.
Moreover, the North Londoners look primed to do more business, with both Eberechi Eze and Ademola Lookman touted for moves to the Emirates.
Why Arsenal want to sign Eze & Lookman
As things stand, Arsenal continue to be linked with both Eze and Lookman, with the former having a release clause worth £68m in his current contract that’ll expire in a week, and the latter reportedly being available for a fee of around £43m.
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While it seems unlikely that the Gunners would sign both internationals, it’s easy to see why they are interested in them.
For example, despite playing in a mid-table team at best, the Englishman managed to rack up a brilliant haul of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes, last season.
That means the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.
On top of that, he also scored in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final of the FA Cup, leading the Eagles to the first major trophy in their existence.
On the other hand, the Nigerian star has been a lean, mean goalscoring machine for several years now.
For example, since moving to the Bergamo outfit in August 2022, the “world-class” attacker, as dubbed by the BBC’s John Bennett, has scored 52 goals and provided 25 assists in 118 appearances, totalling 7538 minutes.
In other words, the former RB Leipzig star has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes over the last three seasons, which is a level of output that could fire the Gunners to glory next year.
In all, it’s easy to see why Arteta and Co would want to splash the cash on one of these stars, although whoever they decide on will have to smash all expectations to see their valuation even approach that of another Arsenal star.
The Arsenal star worth millions more than Eze & Lookman
While they’re yet to win anything with them, Arsenal are a club blessed with an abundance of incredibly talented stars in their squad, although it’s still really quite easy to pinpoint their most important player: Bukayo Saka.
The Hale End icon has developed from an exciting academy graduate into a fully-fledged superstar and the poster boy of Arteta’s project over the last few years, and his valuation reflects that.
Transfermarkt, for example, now prices the 23-year-old game-changer at a staggering €150m, which converts to about £130m, or at least £19m more than Lookman and Eze combined.
While some might question such a valuation, we reckon it’s pretty spot-on, and the first reason why is down to his output.
For example, despite missing almost four months of action with a hamstring injury last season, the Gunners’ “future legend,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, was still able to rack up a sensational haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances, totalling just 2619 minutes.
Not only did that make him the most effective player in the North Londoners’ squad, but the dynamic winger maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.42 games, or 100.73 minutes, which is not only world-class, but better than Eze and Lookman.
On top of that, the Ealing-born monster has also established himself as an essential member of the national team, earning 44 senior caps, in which he’s produced 20 goal involvements, and winning back-to-back Player of the Year awards.
