Arteta was pretty blunt with his assessment of the squad yesterday.
“The squad needs changing,” Arteta told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s clash with West Brom.
“There were already a lot of changes in December, something that has not been done in years, but it tells us where we were. Things are going to have to change and the owners are going to back it up.”
-Quote via
Arseblog News
One name that keeps popping-up and was mentioned again in a
football.london article today is Yves Bissouma from Brighton. Chris Wheatley mentions that Arsenal are hoping to be able to sell enough players this summer to bring in £60 million. It's an interesting financial environment right now, so I am not sure what to expect, but that seems ambitious.
There has been talk that Brighton would definitely want more than £40 million for Bissouma (article from
The Athletic), so if Arsenal were to actually make a deal for him, I'm guessing that would take up a considerable portion of their budget. Arsenal are not the only team interested, so it would not be unexpected if the price got higher than they'd want.
I like Bissouma, but I do wonder if he is worth a big expenditure for Arsenal. I am not convinced he is the difference between mid-table and Champions League, certainly. I think Arsenal probably need to be looking for younger and more cost-efficient signings at this point.
Bissouma is a strong defender in the mid-field, but not exactly a huge threat on the attack. Looking at some of the numbers in the EPL this year, it seems clear that Bissouma is good at tackling, strong in aerial duels, but not a huge contributor to the attack.
Tackles + Interceptions / 90 min:
Bissouma: 4.94, Partey: 4.39, Ceballos: 3.58, Xhaka: 3.01, Elneny: 2.30
Tackle % vs Dribbles:
Xhaka: 52.5%, Partey: 40.9%,
Bissouma: 39.1%, Elneny: 31.3%, Ceballos: 26.5%
Aerial Duel Success:
Bissouma: 63.8%, Xhaka: 56.6%, Partey: 54.8%, Ceballos: 36.8%, Elneny: 31.8%
He does pass long at a higher rate (per pass) than the Arsenal mid-fielders, but being at Brighton, he also attempted less passes overall per 90, so it's not a perfect comparison:
Long Pass % with (Completion %):
Bissouma: 18.6% long (78.7% complete), Ceballos 18.4% (74.8%), Partey: 18.3% (75.7%), Xhaka: 17.5% (83%), Elneny: 15.2% (85.7%)
His shot-profile would fit right in at low-percentage Arsenal; he makes Partey look like a sniper, unfortunately. His average shot distance is 25 yards (similar to Xhaka 24.9, but not quite Partey's 28.0 yards).
Shots on-Target % (Shots/90 min):
Xhaka: 27.8% (0.67 shots/90), Elneny: 22.2% (0.59), Ceballos: 16.7% (0.67), Partey: 11.5% (1.58),
Bissouma: 7.9% (1.2)
Maybe a Partey and Bissouma partnership would sure up the middle of the pitch and let everyone else get more adventurous. I'm not sure, but there is a lot that needs to be fixed at Arsenal and without any European competition revenue next year, I am not sure if Bissouma will be the best buy for them at over £40 million. A more balanced spend on some young-talent may be most prudent, but with jobs on the line, I think Edu and Arteta want players who can step-in instantly. It's just hard to picture them being one Bissouma away from success, but maybe growth from the young-players, some stabilization in their xG vs actual goals, and another year under Arteta will make this year look like a low-point. *Shrugs*