Arsenal pushing to sign £120m “nightmare”

Arsenal pushing to sign £120m “nightmare”

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It’s been a funny old season for Arsenal this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side are second in the Premier League and third in the Champions League, but if you were to ask their fans how the campaign has gone thus far, we bet a good portion of them wouldn’t be too pleased.

The North Londoners’ expectations are far higher than they used to be, so the fact that they’ve fallen behind the Reds is a big issue, and while they have been subject to a number of questionable decisions and had more than their fair share of injuries, the team have also been some way off their best for much of the season.

Martin-Odegaard-Arsenal

One of those who has been particularly disappointing has been club captain Martin Odegaard, who has just two goals and six assists this year, so recent reports linking the club to a Premier League star who could revive him next season should excite fans.

Arsenal chasing Premier League superstar

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in Newcastle United star Alexander Isak.

FFC Header Transfer Focus

In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners have ‘been pushing’ to sign the Swedish international, and while his £120m price tag is an obstacle, the North Londoners ‘are expected to keep trying until summer.’

However, they might not be alone, as the report claims that fellow Premier League side Chelsea and European royalty Real Madrid are also ‘alert to the situation.’

newcastle-isak-premier-league

It’ll be an incredibly costly and complicated transfer to get over the line for Arsenal, but given Isak’s immense ability, it’s one well worth fighting for, especially as he’d surely revive Odegaard’s fortunes.

Why Isak would be a dream teammate for Odegaard

So, there are several reasons why Isak would be such an incredible teammate for Odegaard and be able to revive his fortunes next season, but the most significant of all is his output.

Martin-Odegaard-Arsenal

For example, in 40 appearances for the Toon last season, he racked up a sensational tally of 25 goals and two assists, and then this season, he’s already notched up 19 goals and five assists in just 25 appearances.

That means the Swedish “nightmare,” as dubbed by Alan Shearer, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.48 games last season and is currently averaging an even more incredible return of a goal involvement every 1.04 games this year.

Isak vs Havertz

23/24

Isak

Havertz

Appearances

40

51

Minutes

2973′

3827′

Goals

25

14

Assists

2

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.67

0.41

Minutes per Goal Involvement

110.11′

182.23′

24/25

Isak

Havertz

Appearances

25

31

Minutes

2012′

2576′

Goals

19

14

Assists

5

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.96

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

83.83′

143.11′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In contrast, Kai Havertz, the Gunners’ defacto number nine, ended last season with a tally of 14 goals and seven assists in 51 appearances and has racked up 14 goals and four assists in 31 games so far this season.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.42 games last season and a current average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games this season, which is probably better than most would have expected and more than good enough for most Premier League strikers, but it’s an average that pales in comparison to the Newcastle man’s.

On top of producing more goals and assists than the German, the former Real Sociedad star is also just far more clinical in front of goal, with Understat calculating that he has scored his 17 league goals this season from an expected goal figure of just 14.03, meaning he was able to score from chances they considered to be particularly difficult.

In contrast, Understat has concluded that the former Chelsea ace has scored his eight league goals this season from an expected goal figure of 11.11, which comes out to a quite significant underperformance of 3.11, which might help to explain why his captain’s assist numbers are somewhat underwhelming so far.

Newcastle Alexander Isak

In fact, while Understat does not take statistics from the FA Cup, we saw this issue play out in the game against Manchester United, as Sofascore credited the Norwegian for creating two big chances while they also then had the German down as missing two big chances, chances we doubt the Magpies’ sharpshooter would have missed.

Ultimately, Havertz is a talented footballer, but his wastefulness in front of goal this season is costing Arsenal, and while Odegaard has not been at his very best either, he’s still created opportunities, which we reckon Isak would have buried.

Therefore, if Arteta and Co want to give the Drammen-born maestro the best chance of getting back to his best next season, signing the Swedish superstar is the way to go, even if he costs an arm and a leg.

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