Silly season is right around the corner, and while their fans will still be getting over another hard-fought but ultimately failed Premier League title bid, Arsenal will be hard at work looking to secure the perfect transfers – just like last year.
Mikel Arteta welcomed Kai Havertz, David Raya, and Declan Rice to the club last summer, and based on the last ten months, it would be hard to describe their moves as anything other than successes.
However, in terms of bang for buck performance, a player they signed in January of last year takes the cake: Leandro Trossard.
The Belgian was unreal this season, racking up 19 goal involvements in all competitions, and based on recent reports, he could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of a big-money transfer that looks close to happening.
Arsenal's striker search
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal have maintained their interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško, and in positive developments, the player is now 'favouring a move' to the Emirates.
The story revealed that cross-city rivals Chelsea had recently made the Slovenian their 'top priority' for new manager Enzo Maresca, but the long-term interest from the Gunners has led to the player preferring a move to North London.
However, the player's desire to don the red and white of Arsenal doesn't mean this will be a cheap deal to complete, as the report confirms that his release clause stands at £55m.
That said, for a 21-year-old forward who has shown genuine promise in one of Europe's top five leagues, that might prove to be a bargain in years to come, and his presence up top could supercharge Trossard.
How Šeško could supercharge Trossard
Last season, Trossard ended the campaign with one goal and ten assists for Arsenal in 22 games, whereas this year, his goal tally has skyrocketed to 17 in 46 games, but his haul of assists has come down to just two.
Appearances
22
46
Goals
1
17
Assists
10
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
0.41
Now, this must be in part due to instructions from Arteta to take more shots himself, and in that regard, it's been a brilliant tactical change. However, according to Understat, the Belgian has underperformed his expected assists figure in the league by 2.25, and while that's not an enormous number, it is noticeable.
Moreover, his reluctance to play creator this season could also indicate his lack of trust in his teammates' abilities to finish gilt-edge chances, which is borne out in their goals-to-expected goals figures, also per Understat.
For example, while Havertz's return of 13 league goals from an expected figure of 13.47 isn't bad, it isn't outstanding either, and Gabriel Jesus' haul of four league goals from 7.29 is simply not good enough – which is where Šeško comes in.
In his 42 games for Leipzig this season, he scored 18 goals, 14 of which came in the Bundesliga, and according to Understat, from an expected goals figure of just 8.60.
Šeško
8.60
14
Havertz
13.47
13
Jesus
7.29
4
This means the Slovenian "machine man", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, overperformed his xG by a massive 5.4 goals this year, and while it would be surprising to see him maintain such an enormous overperformance in the long term, it's a clear indicator of his finishing ability.
So, it's quite simple, really: if Arteta signs and starts the former Salzburg ace next season as the team's number nine, Trossard and the other creators on the side can reliably expect their assist tallies to rise. He might not be the finished product overall, but Šeško's ability to put away chances cannot be questioned after this season.
Arsenal could land Bergkamp 2.0 by signing "the best 9 in the world"
The similarities to the Flying Dutchman are undeniable.
ByJack Salveson HolmesMay 31, 2024