90Min revealed yesterday that Arsenal have lined up Borussia Monchengladbach star Denis Zakaria as a possible alternative to Brighton’s Yves Bissouma ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Gunners are desperate to bring in a top-quality defensive midfielder before the start of next season. Thomas Partey needs a solid partner, and we’ve known for months now that Mikel Arteta’s number one target for that position is Bissouma.
However, with Manchester City and Liverpool both keen to sign the Brighton man, Arsenal are considering other options, and Swiss international Zakaria is reportedly one of them.
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The Gladbach star is a fantastic midfielder in his own right. He checks all the boxes Arsenal are looking for, but if stats are anything to go by, Arteta should continue to prioritise a move for Bissouma this summer.
Denis Zakaria vs Yves Bissouma: Who should Arsenal sign?
In 23 Bundesliga appearances this season, Zakaria averages 1.1 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per game. At the other end of the pitch, the Swiss international boasts of just 0.4 shots at goal, 0.3 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes.
With the ball at his feet, Zakaria averages just 25 passes per game. He boasts of a passing accuracy of 87.6% but he only attempts one long ball every game, which really is underwhelming for a player whose job is to start attacks from the back. (WhoScored)
Bissouma, on the other hand, is head and shoulders above Zakaria. He averages 2.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.8 clearances every game. His numbers also show that he averages 1.2 shots at goal, 0.4 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game, which is an excellent record.
The Brighton man’s passing accuracy of 87.1% is slightly inferior to that of Zakaria, but Bissouma averages over 20 more passes per game than his counterpart. He also averages 2.1 long balls every game, which shows that he isn’t afraid take matters into his own hands from a deeper position. (WhoScored)
Arsenal should prioritise Bissouma
Zakaria is not a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, but stats show that Bissouma is so much better. The Mali international knows the Premier League very well too, which is a huge bonus for interested parties.
Arsenal should go all out for Bissouma this summer. The Brighton man will reportedly be available for just £30 million (Mirror), which could complicate things for the Gunners, who will not have a lot of money due to lack of European football.
However, we secured Partey’s signature when we didn’t have money last summer, and it won’t be a surprise if Edu finds a way to get this deal over the line as well in the coming weeks and months.
In other news, BBC pundit urges Klopp and Solskjaer to sign ‘devastating’ Arsenal star this summer