There is no denying the fact that this season has been a disappointment for Arsenal fans.
After winning the first Premier League title in a generation in the previous two campaigns, we were hoping that Mikel Arteta would lead the team this year, if not expecting.
But the unfortunate combination of injuries, halts and cutting-edge shortages combined to see the gunners finish 10 points first from Liverpool.
One of the most disappointing stars for the people of North London is Gabriel Martinelli, who can see the shadow of the star who terrified the defender in 22/23 and, based on recent reports, loses his place completely with the team this summer.
Arsenal forwarding news
As Arteta’s options on the left fail to keep up with Buka Yosaka and Ethan Nu Waneri on the right, many talented leftists, such as Rafael Rio and Antoine Meño, were not surprised by the recent weeks and months.
The former is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most exciting attackers, and his amazing distance of 12 and 13 goals in 50 shows just how effective he is, but the release clause is reportedly worth £145 million.
Meanwhile, Semeño will cost around £70 million on the gunners, which is still a lot of money, but he has proven his ability in the Premier League and has managed to tally 13 goals and seven assists in 42 Bournemouth games this season.
However, as many other areas of the team still need to address, North Londoners may want to spend more money on an exciting up-and-coming Martinelli upgrade.
Yes, according to a recent report from TeamTalk, Arsenal is one of several top flight teams interested in signing Lyon Gem this summer.
In fact, the report revealed that alongside Liverpool and Aston Villa, he is leading the race for the 20-year-old star, who is valued at around £42 million by the French giants.
It could be a complicated and somewhat expensive transfer, but given Fofana’s immense abilities and potential, it’s worth fighting for, especially as he’s a major upgrade to Martinelli.
How Phophy shares with Martinelli
Fofana sometimes played right and top in his short career, but his main and unquestionably best position is off the left.
So his biggest competition in game time at Arsenal next season will be Martinelli if he joins, but how are the pair stacking up on each other?
Well, in terms of raw output, he scored 11 goals, providing six assists, averaged every 2.41 games, or every 134.11 minutes, like a total of 2,280 minutes of appearances.
In contrast, the former Itouano Jewel scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 51 appearances, totaling 3564 minutes, with an average goal involvement every 3.18 games or 222.75 minutes.
Now, if we look under the hood with the numbers that underneath their underlying, who will be on top?
Unfortunately, for the Gunners’ No. 11, the comparison is only one-sided here, as the majority of the younger Belgians get better while he’s getting better on some metrics.
For example, “game-changing” prospects, called by U23 scout Antonio Mango, are far better in metrics such as assists, progressive passes, passes, passes, tackle, blocks, intercepts, shots, shots, goal cleat actions, successful actions of all 90 people, and successes beyond many many.
Fofana vs Martinelli | ||
---|---|---|
Statistics per 90 | head | Martinelli |
Non-penalty G+AS | 0.51 | 0.47 |
Progressive Pass | 2.54 | 2.05 |
Receiving progressive path | 11.6 | 11.4 |
Progressive Carry | 6.33 | 4.88 |
shot | 1.76 | 2.16 |
Target shot | 0.85 | 0.94 |
Accuracy passing | 77.4% | 71.4% |
Expected assist | 0.25 | 0.19 |
Key Pass | 1.41 | 1.57 |
Move to the last third | 1.13 | 0.43 |
Move to the penalty area | 1.81 | 1.46 |
Crossing to the penalty area | 0.73 | 0.59 |
Live Pass | 35.2 | 26.7 |
Shot creation action | 3.12 | 2.91 |
Goal Creation Action | 0.62 | 0.27 |
Tackle | 1.24 | 0.91 |
block | 0.68 | 0.59 |
Intercept | 0.45 | 0.20 |
clearance | 0.34 | 0.75 |
A successful take-on | 1.36 | 1.30 |
Ball recovery | 3.56 | 3.07 |
All statistics via FBREF for the 24/25 season |
Finally, according to Mango, the youth are also blessed with “terrifying speed and acceleration,” so North Londoners won’t miss out on the possibility of Martinelli’s breakaway if Martinelli was replaced by the left.
Ultimately, Fofana may not be the biggest name at the moment, but he appears to be a superstar, already superior to Arsenal’s regular starting left field.
Therefore, the club should do everything possible to sign him as soon as possible.
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