It might have ended without a trophy, but last season saw Arsenal take another step forward in their quest to finally dethrone Manchester City from the top of the Premier League.
As a collective, Mikel Arteta's side generally looked better than they did the previous campaign, but a few stars, notably Oleksandr Zinchenko, seemed to take a step back.
The former City man saw his game time cut due to injuries and concern over his lack of defensive solidity, and based on recent reports, he could soon be replaced by an exciting full-back who's been brilliant at the Euros so far.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Turkish publication Ajansspor, Arsenal are still incredibly interested in Fenerbahçe left-back Ferdi Kadıoğlu.
In fact, the report claims that the Gunners have already seen a €20m – £17m – offer rejected by the Turkish side, who value their star player at closer to €40m, which converts to around £34m.
While there seems to be progress on the deal, Edu Gaspar and Co will need to get moving, as the story also reveals that Borussia Dortmund made an unsuccessful bid worth around €25m – £21m.
It won't be a cheap transfer to complete, but given his performances last season and at the Euros, plus the uncertainty around Zinchenko's future, it seems like one worth pursuing.
How Kadıoğlu compares to Zinchenko
If the Gunners can reach an agreement with the Süper Lig giants in the coming weeks and get their man, he'd be in direct competition with Zinchenko – lest he's sold – so how does he compare?
Well, from a pure attacking output perspective – this is the modern game, after all – Kadıoğlu comes out ahead. In his 51 games for Sarı Kanaryalar last season, he scored three goals and provided five assists, equating to a goal involvement every 6.37 matches.
Now, while that might not sound outlandishly impressive, it is better than the Arsenal man, as in his 35 appearances in 2023/24, he scored once and provided two assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 11.66 games.
Another area where the "electric" 24-year-old, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has an advantage over the Ukrainian is his positional versatility.
The former City man can certainly play in several midfield roles and has in the past, but the vast majority of his starts in football – 183, to be precise – have come at left-back, so it's hard to trust him to do a job elsewhere on the pitch at a high level.
In stark contrast, the "exemplary" Arnhem-born gem, as dubbed by Mattinson, has played all over the pitch in recent years.
While his 66 starts at left-back are the most in any one position, he has also started 56 games in attacking midfield, 44 on the right wing, 37 at right-back, 23 at left wing, and he's hit double digits in three more positions to boot.
66
Left-Back
183
Left-Back
56
Attacking Midfield
26
Central Midfield
44
Right Wing
15
Right Midfield
37
Right-Back
14
Left Midfield
23
Left Wing
11
Attacking Midfield
19
Right Midfield
3
Defensive Midfield
This ability to not just play but thrive in several areas of the pitch is one of the reasons Mattinson describes the 5 foot 9 ace as a "technically intelligent" player who "loves to interchange with his teammates," which sounds like the sort of player Arteta would love to have in his side.
Ultimately, while Zinchenko is a talented player, it does look as if his importance to Arsenal has decreased since the start of last season. Therefore, while Kadıoğlu won't come cheap, his impressive performances in recent years and tactical flexibility make him an incredibly appealing replacement and someone the club should sign, especially if he continues to impress at the Euros.
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