Arsenal target 'one of their best wingers' for £48m

The mood around Arsenal At this moment it is strange.

On the one hand, the North London side have a record of ten wins and two draws in their last 12 matches, but on the other hand, they are still… They find themselves six points behind Premier League Leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand to boot.

Mikel Arteta The team is playing well, thanks in large part to… Gabriel Jesus Back to form, but there is a clear feeling that they can take it to another level, and that they must if they are to secure the title come May.

Fortunately, recent reports have linked the club with an exciting winger who could help them do just that and help Jesus improve.

Arsenal transfer news

According to A Latest report of football transfersArsenal is once again keen to sign Athletic Bilbao's Neco Williams this year.

In fact, the report claims that the Gunners are in “ongoing discussions with the player’s agent” and that if they get the green light from the player, they will trigger his €58m release clause this month, which converts to around £48m.

While the Gunners were interested in the Spain international over the summer, the report revealed that Bukayo Saka's recent injury was the catalyst for this new urgency to get this deal done by the north Londoners.

That's still a lot of money to spend on a 22-year-old, but given Williams' incredible ability and how he can help the likes of Jesus improve, it looks like it will be money very well spent.

Why Williams would be an excellent signing for Arsenal and Jesus

So, while there are likely a number of reasons why Williams would be a great addition to Arsenal's squad, from his age profile to the marketability he would have, the main reason why he is a dream signing for the club and Jesus, for that matter, is his ability and production. .

And now, it's true that he's back Two goals and five assists In 23 appearances this season, he is not world class, but he simply was not playable last season, and if he could do it before, there is no reason to think he won't be able to do it again.

For example, in just 37 matches, the European champion, Which analyst Ben Mattinson described as “One of the best wings on the market” He scored eight goals and provided 19 assistsThis is equivalent to a goal participation rate every 1.37 matches.

Now, while his goal-scoring ability is certainly impressive and will undoubtedly help the team as a whole, it is his incredible ability to provide assist after assist that will make him a great teammate for Jesus.

For example, the player with the most assists Arsenal had Saka last season 14, then Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice were the only other players to reach double figures, with 11 and 10 respectively.

Finally, another aspect of the 22-year-old's game that would make him dream of playing alongside the Brazilian is his direct style.

According to FBrefwhich compares players across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the Pamplona-born Dinamo falls in the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers in terms of progressive campaigns and successful attacks per 90.

This suggests that he will be able to reliably beat his player from the outside and then fire a pass across the box for Jesus to score and put away.

Ultimately, while Arsenal have a number of talented left-wingers at the club, none of them seem able to reliably provide team-mates in the same way that Williams does, and therefore, Arteta and company must do everything they can to bring him to the Emirates. . This summer.