Heading into the January switch window, there’s one factor abundantly clear over another drawback within the Premier League; Arsenal must signal gamers. Additionally they must signal ahead gamers.
Heading into their sport with Aston Villa, Mikel Arteta had in all probability one of many worst benches within the league at his disposal and it stated all of it that Raheem Sterling was the one possibility he referred to as upon and even then, it wasn’t till the ultimate ten minutes of the sport.
Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho had been all choices however with the Gunners requiring a objective, they solely had Sterling with first-team expertise to name on. The opposite choices had been 19-year-old Ismeal Kabia and 22-year-old Nathan Butler-Oyadeji.
So, that in all probability explains hyperlinks to gamers like Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko, do not you assume?
No new defenders then, proper? Effectively, assume once more. One other full-back might be on their approach to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal Bayern Munich star
Over the previous few years, Arteta has made a robust effort to bolster the membership’s defensive position and to his credit score, he is finished an admirable job in that division.
No team conceded fewer goals (29) than the Gunners in final season’s Premier League. The difficulty is, a number of them are injury-prone.
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We nonetheless have not seen the most effective of Riccaro Calafiori who simply can not seem to keep match, whereas Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are each sidelined with damage for the time being.
That being stated, it is seemingly that the aforementioned Tierney and Zinchenko will depart within the coming months. The Scot’s contract is because of expire whereas the latter has been linked with Borussia Dortmund in recent days. Maybe recruits will likely be wanted?
Effectively, considered one of them might be Bayern Munich sensation Alphonso Davies. That is according to reports in Spain who recommend that Arsenal and Liverpool want to persuade the Canadian to signal for them over Actual Madrid.
Davies is edging in the direction of a brand new take care of Bayern along with his present phrases set to run out in the summertime when he would develop into a free agent if he would not put pen to paper.
Arsenal are on purple alert, subsequently, and alongside Arne Slot’s aspect, have ‘intensified their contacts with the participant’s brokers’ in a bid to deliver him to English soccer.
Why Davies can be a fantastic signing for Arsenal
Sure, Arsenal want attacking gamers, however in Davies, they might signal a makeshift ahead able to boosting productiveness at each ends of the pitch.
A pure winner, having received a number of Bundesliga titles with Bayern, he is an skilled participant who may hit the bottom working instantly.
Primarily a left-back, he would current Arteta with a distinct choice to what he already has at his disposal.
Whereas Calafiori is extra of a brutish defender, Myles Lewis-Skelly has been performing the inverted function admirably in current weeks, with data analyst Ben Mattinson already suggesting the 18-year-old is “the most effective participant within the league at drawing fouls”. Wonderful reward certainly.
Nevertheless, they miss that swashbuckling kind of left-back, somebody who’s going to bomb ahead and help the assault. That is the place Davies may are available.
Clocked because the joint seventh-fastest player in Bundesliga history, he is evidently an “electric” player in the words of Mattinson and will present Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard with the kind of flank help that we have seen Ben White give Bukayo Saka down the best all through the years.
As we are able to see beneath, Davies is a completely totally different profile to somebody like Lewis-Skelly and Calafiori however he’d provide a lot with regard to ball-carrying and additional attacking menace.
|
Davies vs Lewis-Skelly & Calafiori (24/25) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90 minutes) |
Davies |
MLS |
Calafiori |
|
Pictures |
1.13 |
0 |
0.76 |
|
Key passes |
1.59 |
0.64 |
0.51 |
|
Progressive passes |
7.02 |
4.04 |
4.43 |
|
Go completion % |
90.4% |
92.2% |
84.4% |
|
Shot-creating actions |
3.64 |
1.06 |
1.01 |
|
Profitable take-ons |
1.79 |
0.85 |
1.01 |
|
Progressive carries |
4.57 |
1.91 |
1.52 |
|
Crosses into field |
1.26 |
0.21 |
0.38 |
|
Stats by way of FBRef. |
|||
What’s fascinating to notice, is that Davies is not only a left-back. Certainly, he has played as a left winger on 45 occasions in his club career and 16 instances from the best wing.
For his nation, Canada, the 24-year-old commonly options in a extra outstanding attacking berth, notably beginning two of his nation’s three 2022 World Cup video games as a left winger. On the 2017 Gold Cup, he started two of the 4 matches on the best.
There are thrilling parallels with a sure Saka right here. After all, the England worldwide began as a left-back in senior soccer earlier than migrating additional ahead and ultimately enjoying off the best. Saka has the identical kind of ball-carrying capability as Davies too, main us to imagine the Canadian may play in a extra offensive function frequently for Arsenal.
He’s nonetheless younger sufficient to be moulded into one thing else and there’s loads of proof to recommend a participant boasting a lot tempo and trickery may thrive within the remaining third. Saka stands as proof, as does Wales legend Gareth Bale.
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