If this season has proven anything, it’s that Arsenal desperately need attacking reinforcements.
With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus out injured and Mikel Merino in midfield, Mikel Arteta had just a single senior attacking player on his bench last night: Raheem Sterling.
This lack of options became increasingly apparent as the game went on, as for all his efforts, Leandro Trossard was painfully ineffective down the middle.
It’s not been a great campaign for the Belgian international this season, which makes recent reports linking the club to a potential hardly surprising.
Arsenal transfer news
Plenty of wingers have been touted for moves to Arsenal in recent weeks, so before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some, like Nico Williams.
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The Athletic Bilbao star has been a long-term target for the Gunners and, thanks to a release clause in his current contract, would be available for around £50m this summer.
A far more expensive option, however, could be AC Milan’s incredibly talented Rafael Leão.
The Portuguese international could be available for about £86m at the end of the season, and while that is an incredible sum of money, he might be worth it, as in just 47 appearances this year, he’s scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists.
However, given the club’s need to sign a game-changing striker this summer, they might want to spend a little less on a new left-winger, which is where Kingsley Coman comes in.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen to sign the Bayern Munich star this summer.
The good news is that, due to his squad role at the Allianz Arena, the Frenchman should be available for the relatively reasonable price of around €40m, which is about £34m.
It might be complicated to get ahead of the other interested parties, but given Coman’s ability and experience, this is a transfer worth fighting for, especially as he could be an ideal Trossard upgrade.
How Coman compares to Trossard
So, with Coman primarily playing off the left, Trossard would be one of his main competitors for game time, but how does he stack up to the Belgian?
Well, from a pure output perspective, he comes out on top, as in just 1684 minutes of action, across 38 appearances, he’s scored seven goals and provided four assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 153.09 minutes.
In contrast, the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace has scored ten goals and provided eight assists in 315 minutes across 51 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 175.05 minutes.
How about when we take a look under the hood, then? Who comes out on top when we compare their underlying numbers?
Once again, the Frenchman, whom former Bayen Sporting Director Matthias Sammer once described as “one of the biggest talents in European football,” emerges victorious.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.55
0.47
Non-Penalty G+As
0.72
0.52
Progressive Passes
3.41
3.61
Progressive Carries
4.44
2.82
Shots
3.11
2.62
Shots on Target
1.27
0.80
Passing Accuracy
85.1%
73.6%
Key Passes
2.38
1.43
Passes into the Final Third
2.06
1.59
Passes into the Penalty Area
2.14
1.63
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.40
0.36
Shot-Creating Actions
6.04
3.10
Goal-Creating Actions
0.87
0.24
Successful Take-Ons
2.94
1.15
Ball Recoveries
4.29
3.57
For example, he comes out miles ahead in almost every single relevant metric, including, but not limited to, actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, crosses and passes into the penalty area, passes into the final third, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
Finally, with a Champions League, 12 league titles, a Club World Cup and a mountain of domestic cups to his name, the former Juventus star would bring some much-needed title-winning experience to the Gunners’ squad.
Ultimately, while Trossard is a useful player, Coman is a clear upgrade in almost every respect and if Arsenal can sign him this summer, they should.
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