While the mood around the club is still rather jubilant following their incredible win over Real Madrid in the Champions League this time last week, one thing remains true about Arsenal: they don’t score enough goals.
To give them credit, Mikel Arteta’s side have scored more goals than most teams in the Premier League, but that’s still not enough when the club are desperate to lift the title following what now looks like it’ll be three seasons of finishing in second place.
For example, the Gunners have put the ball in the back of the net 57 times in the league this year, which is only the fourth most, behind Tottenham Hotspur with 60, Manchester City with 62 and Liverpool, who have already scored a brilliant 74 goals so far.
Now, one of the most obvious ways to address this problem in the summer is to sign a new striker to lead the line, and while that’ll likely help, it could be just as important to add more quality wingers to the squad, although whoever they sign is unlikely to be worth anywhere near as much as one of Arteta’s key men.
The wingers Arsenal could sign
So, when it comes to wide reinforcements, there is one name that has followed Arsenal from last summer’s transfer window to this one: Nico Williams.
The Spanish international winger is one of the most exciting wingers in Europe at present, and while there will undoubtedly be plenty of competition for his signature, he does seem to be gettable thanks to a £52m release clause in his current contract.
It’s certainly a lot of money to spend on a 22-year-old, but it’d be worth it, as just this season alone, the Pamplona-born “level-raiser,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored ten goals and provided seven assists in 41 appearances.
However, it’s not just youngsters that the North Londoners could sign this summer, as recent reports have also touted Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman for a £39m move to the Emirates.
Now, the Frenchman hasn’t had as good of a season this year, only racking up ten goal involvements in 35 appearances, but he would bring with him an abundance of top-level experience.
For example, since making his debut for Paris Saint Germain over a decade ago, the Paris-born winger has won two league titles in France, two in Italy with Juventus and eight in Germany with Bayern Munich, where he has also scored the winning goal in a Champions League final.
In short, both players would be good additions to Arsenal’s squad this summer, but neither one would be even nearly as much as one of the team’s star players.
The Arsenal star worth millions more than Williams & Coman
While they haven’t been as productive as in seasons past, Arsenal do have a few talented wingers in their squad, such as Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, but when it comes to being a true leader within the team, only one attacker comes to mind: Bukayo Saka.
The Hale Ender is unquestionably the best player in Arteta’s squad, as not only has he worn the captain’s armband on occasion, but he’s also the most productive player in the entire team this year, with 24 goal improvements even though he missed over three months of action following hamstring surgery.
So, with all that said, it should come as no surprise that Transfermarkt currently values the 23-year-old at a whopping €150m, which is about £128m, or £76m more than Williams would cost and £89m more than Coman may cost.
That is an enormous difference in the three wingers’ valuations, but when you compare their output from this season, it’s hard to argue that it’s not fair.
For example, the Bilbao star has produced his 17 goal involvements in 41 appearances, totalling 2859 minutes, which comes out to an average of one every 2.41 games or every 168.17 minutes.
Appearances
28
41
35
Minutes
1998′
2859′
1597′
Goals
10
10
6
Assists
14
7
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.85
0.41
0.28
Minutes per Goal Involvement
83.25′
168.17′
159.7′
The Bayern dynamo has produced his ten goal involvements in 35 appearances, totalling 1597 minutes, which comes out to an average of one every 3.5 games or every 159.7.
Last but most certainly not least, the Gunners’ “future legend,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored his ten goals and provided his 14 assists in just 28 appearances, totalling 1998 minutes.
That means the 43-capped Englishman is averaging a goal involvement every 1.16 games or every 83.25, which simply has to be considered world-class.
Ultimately, signing Coman or Williams would help improve Arsenal’s squad, but it seems far-fetched to imagine either one ever reaching a valuation on par with Saka’s.
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