da betsul： After yet another international break, the Premier League returns this weekend, and Arsenal can continue their title charge.
da bet7： Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points clear atop the table and will be desperate to make up for dropping points away to Sunderland last time out.
The Gunners weren’t necessarily poor at the Stadium of Light, but aside from a few players, they certainly weren’t at their best.
With that said, one of the starters who played well was Leandro Trossard, although if reports are to be believed, Arsenal might be set to sign someone who could be an upgrade on him.
Arsenal target Trossard upgrade
If you were to ask Arsenal fans who their best players have been this season, you would likely get a lot of the usual suspects, like Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber.
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However, one player who has at least entered that conversation as of late is Trossard, who, unlike last year, is starting to influence games on a more regular basis.
For example, if he didn’t score that thunderbolt against the Black Cats, there is every chance the Gunners might’ve gone into the international break on the back of a defeat.
However, even though the Belgian has been a key contributor in the last month or so, the club appear keen on signing someone to compete with, or possibly replace him.
At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal have maintained their interest in Antoine Semenyo.
The report has revealed that, alongside the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, the Gunners are vying for the Bournemouth star.
While the competition is far from ideal, the good news is that, according to another story from The Athletic, the Cherries star has a £65m release clause in his new contract, which will be active for part of January.
It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Semenyo’s immense talent, one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Trossard.
How Semenyo compares to Trossard
As they still produced the best defence in the league last season, Arsenal’s biggest problem, at least domestically, was their diminished goal threat.
Therefore, the first thing to compare between Trossard and Semenyo should be their output, as that is ultimately what a winger is judged on these days.
For his efforts so far this year, the Bournemouth star has scored six goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, and helps to justify Chris Waddle’s claim that he’s currently “the best winger in the country.”
The Belgian, on the other hand, has racked up four goals and four assists in 14 appearances, which works out to a less impressive tally of a goal involvement every 1.75 games.
Unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion star, he still comes out as a distant second best when looking at their output last season.
For example, he produced 20 goal involvements in 56 games for a far better team, while the Cherries star produced as many goal involvements in just 42 games.
Okay, what about when you take a look under the hood, which winger has the better underlying numbers?
Expected G+As
0.46
0.36
Non-Penalty G+As
0.73
0.56
Progressive Passes
3.55
3.38
Progressive Carries
3.18
2.82
Shots on Target
1.09
0.56
Shot-Creating Actions
3.28
2.94
Goal-Creating Actions
0.64
0.28
Tackles Won
1.00
0.42
Successful Take-Ons
1.91
0.99
Unsurprisingly, it’s the Ghanaian international who once again emerges victorious, coming out on top in key metrics like expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, successful take-ons, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.
Finally, there is also the simple fact that, at 25, the Bournemouth star has a lot more to offer compared to the 30-year-old, and would therefore be the smarter long-term option.
Ultimately, Trossard has been far better this season than last, but even so, it’s clear that Semenyo would be an upgrade on him, and therefore, Arsenal should go all out to sign the Cherries star in January.
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