DOUBLE DEALS: Arsenal close to announce two transfer signings as two superstars joins on long-term deal
Ask an Arsenal fan what the team needs this summer, and we reckon the vast majority will say a striker.
It’s undoubtedly true that Mikel Arteta’s side need more help up top to either replace or challenge Kai Havertz next season, but arguably just as important is a new left-winger.
Compared to Bukayo Saka on the right – who missed over three months of football – the Gunners’ options on the left weren’t able to have the same sort of impact on games.
Fortunately, reports have now linked the club with a renowned international who’s been compared to the incredible Lamine Yamal and would be a perfect upgrade on Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal’s winger search
Arsenal seem to recognise their need for wide reinforcements this summer, as over the last few weeks and months, they’ve been linked with a host of sensational talents, like Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki.
The former has been unreal for Paris Saint-Germain this season, scoring 21 goals and providing 19 assists in 58 games, but such a rate of return has seen the Parisian value him at a whopping £101m.
Fellow Ligue 1 superstar Cherki, on the other hand, could be available for around £30m this summer, and should Manchester City not get their man, then that’d be a bargain fee, as in 44 appearances, he’s scored 12 goals and provided 20 assists.
However, while both wingers would be brilliant additions to the squad, Arteta and Co may want someone more experienced to come in and replace Trossard, someone like Leroy Sané.
Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal are one of several English sides interested in the Bayern Munich star this summer.
The report has revealed that ‘senior figures at the club have held talks with 29-year-old’ and that should he not decide to renew his contract with the German giants, the Gunners are a real option for him ahead of next season.
It might not be the most exciting transfer imaginable, but Sané is a proven winner, who’d not only be free but an upgrade on Trossard and someone who’s won comparisons to the phenomenal Yamal.
How Sané compares to Trossard and Yamal
Before looking at how Sané stacks up against Trossard, it’s worth examining this comparison to Yamal and where it has come from.
Well, in this case, it stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and in this instance, has come to the conclusion that the Barcelona gem is the eighth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Bayern ace across the last 365 days.
The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, expected assists, key passes, live passes, switches, tackles and tackles won, blocks and more, all per 90.
However, while a comparison to one of the most exciting players in the world is certainly encouraging, how does the former Manchester City star compare to the Gunners’ Belgian wideman, as he’d be one of his main competitors for game time next year?
Well, when it comes to their raw output from this season, it’s the German “superstar,” as dubbed by football scout Antonio Mango, who has the better record, as in just 2377 minutes across 45 appearances, he’s scored 13 goals and provided six assists.
That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.36 games, or far more crucially, every 125.10 minutes, which is nothing to sniff at.
In contrast, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star has scored ten goals and provided ten assists in 56 appearances, totalling 3455 minutes this season.
That comes out to an okay but far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games, or every 172.75 minutes, which is not what you want in a title-chasing team.
Speaking of titles, the Essen-born dynamo would also bring with him a real know-how when it comes to winning them, as across his time with City and FC Hollywood, he’s won six league titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and a handful of other trophies.
Ultimately, picking up Sané for nothing this summer would be an excellent decision by Arsenal, as he’d be an ideal upgrade on Trossard, he’d bring a winning mentality, and then there is the added bonus of his similarities to Yamal – it feels like a no-brainer.
