They may have dropped points on the weekend, but Arsenal are flying this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side are top of both the Champions League and Premier League tables at the moment, and show no signs of slowing down.
Even with the absurd number of injuries the Gunners have had to deal with, they have been rock-solid at the back and clinical in attack.
One of Arsenal’s surprising stars of the season so far has been Leandro Trossard, but if reports are to be believed, the club could be looking to sign an upgrade.
Arsenal target Trossard upgrade
The winter transfer window is now less than a month from opening, and Arsenal have already been linked with a huge number of exciting and potentially game-changing additions.
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Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, for example, has been touted for a £70m switch to the Emirates, as has Nottingham Forest’s monstrous centre-back Murillo.
However, while both players would certainly add something to Arteta’s squad and likely improve it, they cannot be described as Trossard upgrades, unlike Kenan Yıldız.
Yes, according to a recent report from Italy, Arsenal are once again interested in the hugely exciting Turkish wonderkid.
More than that, though, the report has revealed that the Gunners have once again been in contact with the player’s representatives to find out what it would take to make the deal work.
However, Juventus are understandably keen to keep hold of the incredible talent, and according to other reports from Italy, would demand at least £88m to sell him.
It could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s ability and potential, it is one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he’d be a perfect Trossard upgrade.
How Yıldız compares to Trossard
Now, it might sound simplistic, and that’s because it is: the first place to start when comparing two attackers is their raw output from the last two seasons.
For his efforts last season, Yıldız racked up an impressive tally of 12 goals and nine assists in 52 appearances, which comes out to a goal involvement every 2.47 games.
Trossard, on the other hand, scored ten goals and provided ten assists in 56 appearances, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games.
In other words, the Turkish gem was comfortably more productive last season, but this year, it’s the Belgian who has been marginally better.
In 16 appearances, he has produced ten goal involvements, which is an average of one every 1.6 games.
In contrast, the Juve star has produced as many goal involvements in 18 appearances, averaging one every 1.8 games.
With that said, when you look at both campaigns holistically, it is still the youngster who comes out ahead, as he does when comparing their underlying numbers.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.41
0.38
Progressive Carries
4.36
2.63
Progressive Passes
3.55
3.63
Shots on Target
1.09
0.62
Passing Accuracy
78.9%
69.3%
Key Passes
2.45
1.38
Shot-Creating Actions
4.80
3.25
Goal-Creating Actions
0.45
0.37
Successful Take-Ons
1.64
0.88
For example, the Regensburg-born dynamo lives up to his billing as a player with “Mbappe-like ability”, in the words of European football writer Danny Corcoran, by coming out on top in most relevant metrics like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, key passes, goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.
Finally, add the statistical advantages to the fact that he is still just 20 years old, and therefore has over a decade left to play at the top level, and it’s clear he would be an upgrade on the Belgian.
Ultimately, Trossard has been a great player for Arsenal and has been unreal this season, but if the Gunners have the chance, they should go all out to sign Yıldız, as he would be an upgrade.
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