They might have lost two games, but it would be hard to describe this summer as anything other than a success for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side won their other three, and the board have properly backed him in the market thus far.
The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke all look ready to make a significant impact in the Premier League and beyond this season.
However, there is still time for the club to make more signings, and one of the players they’ve been most heavily linked with is Eberechi Eze.
However, while the Crystal Palace star would be an excellent signing, it might be wiser for Andrea Berta and Co to go back in for another dynamic attacker linked with the side earlier in the window.
Why Arsenal want to sign Eze
While Arsenal have been linked with Eze before, with stories touting him for a move to the Emirates last summer, the links have been far more substantive and consistent this year.
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In fact, there are plenty of reports claiming that the player is dead set on joining Arteta’s squad, and that the only obstacle is that the club want to sell players first.
Whatever ends up happening over the coming weeks, it’s clear that the Gunners are interested in the Palace ace, and it’s not hard to understand why.
After all, despite playing for a mid-table side at best, the England international was able to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists in 43 games, totalling 3303 minutes last season.
That means the former QPR gem maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.
On top of that, he also played a key role in the South Londoners’ FA Cup triumph, scoring in the quarter-final, semi-final and final.
However, while all of this is hugely impressive, and we have no doubt that Eze would be a success in North London, Arsenal might be better off going back in for another player they were linked with earlier this summer: Bradley Barcola.
Why Arsenal should sign Barcola over Eze
Now it is certainly the case that links to Barcola have been few and far between this summer, but not nonexistent, as Arsenal reportedly made contact over the French winger back in June.
Stories since then have claimed that the Paris Saint-Germain star is valued at around £87m, and while that is a massive amount of money, we still think this is a transfer the Gunners should be back in for in a big way.
The first reason relates to the 22-year-old’s seriously impressive output last season.
In 64 appearances for the Parisians, totalling 3927 minutes, the game-changing talent, whom respected analyst Ben Mattinson has dubbed “one of the best LWs in Europe,” scored 21 goals and provided 21 assists.
In other words, the Lyon-born superstar maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games, or every 93.5 minutes, which is almost unbelievable considering the amount of football he played.
Appearances
64
43
Minutes
3927′
3303′
Goals
21
14
Assists
21
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.65
0.58
Minutes per Goal Involvement
93.5′
132.12′
On top of being more dangerous than Eze, we’d argue that, as an out-and-out left-winger, the former Lyon gem is also more of what the North Londoners need at the moment.
With Martin Odegaard looking to get back to his best and Ethan Nwaneri snapping at his heels, the most glaring weakness in Arteta’s side is the ineffectiveness on the left, with neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard being the sort of players who’d strike fear into opposition defenders.
Ultimately, it might be something of a long shot, but if Arsenal really want to take a massive step forward and closer to Premier League glory this summer, they should go all out for Barcola over Eze.