The top of the 2023/24 season is quickly approaching, and Arsenal are nonetheless very a lot within the Premier League title race and the hunt for an elusive Champions League.
Mikel Arteta’s facet have come on leaps and bounds from the staff that so spectacularly fell aside round this time final 12 months, and whereas they might’ve cherished to have taken all three factors from the Etihad, one level is a dramatic enchancment on what occurred there final season.
It was a severely spectacular staff effort to maintain the treble winners from scoring on the day, and whereas every of the starters has confirmed their price to the staff, there’s one whose place may very well be at risk primarily based on current stories, Ben White.
Newest Arsenal switch information
In line with a current report from the Spanish publication Sport (through ESPN), Arsenal are one in every of a number of golf equipment set to ‘battle’ it out for the signature of Manchester Metropolis’s full-back João Cancelo.
The report has revealed that whereas Barcelona want to hold the Portuguese defender past his present season-long mortgage deal, their monetary state of affairs makes it a fancy deal to finish, regardless that they consider the participant would favor to remain in Spain.
That is very true as the opposite events embody a number of golf equipment from the outrageously rich Saudi Professional League and the Gunners, who’re in a significantly extra sturdy monetary place than the Catalans.
No switch charge has been reported as but, and it stays to be seen simply how eager the defending champions could be to take care of a direct rival.
Nonetheless, with it trying more and more unlikely that he’ll be reintroduced into the fold on the Etihad, the CIES Soccer Observatory has valued the defender at round €60m, which is about £51m, a value that may very well be seen as truthful given his high quality.
How Cancelo compares to White
Now, whereas it might need appeared weird to check these two full-backs just some years in the past, given the very completely different states of their respective golf equipment, it actually is not right now.
White has firmly established himself as among the best right-backs within the nation this season, and whereas his begin to the marketing campaign was maybe a bit of disappointing, he has been one of many Gunners’ most vital gamers for the reason that flip of the 12 months, offering three assists, scoring one purpose and retaining 5 clear sheets in ten begins.
In all, the previous Brighton & Hove ace has made 123 appearances for Arsenal – with 76 of these at right-back – through which he has scored 4 objectives and offered 9 assists, that means he is averaged a purpose involvement each 9.4 video games.
In distinction, the “world-class” Metropolis star, as Julian Nagelsmann described him, has made 154 appearances for the Sky Blues, through which he has scored 9 objectives and offered 22 assists, giving him a barely higher common of a purpose involvement each 4.9 video games.
So, with the previous Juventus ace having a greater attacking common in English soccer however the Poole-born star having a newer physique of labor to evaluate, who comes out on high relating to their underlying numbers?
Cancelo vs White |
||
---|---|---|
Stats per 90 |
Cancelo |
White |
Non-Penalty Anticipated Targets + Assists |
0.31 |
0.12 |
Non-Penalty Targets + Assists |
0.23 |
0.24 |
Progressive Passes |
5.14 |
5.51 |
Progressive Carries |
4.40 |
1.17 |
Pictures on Goal |
0.28 |
0.16 |
Cross Completion |
81.8% |
84.4% |
Shot-Creating Actions |
2.85 |
2.22 |
Purpose-Creating Actions |
0.23 |
0.20 |
Tackles Gained |
1.61 |
0.77 |
Blocks |
1.19 |
1.30 |
Tackles + Interceptions |
3.30 |
2.27 |
Profitable Take-Ons |
2.48 |
0.24 |
Ball Recoveries |
6.10 |
3.52 |
Aerial Duels Gained |
0.96 |
1.01 |
Effectively, as soon as once more, it is not completely one-sided. In line with FBref, each gamers excel in sure metrics and never in others, however general, it’s the present Barça man who comes out on high.
He produces the next non-penalty anticipated objectives and assists determine, considerably extra progressive carries, extra pictures on course, extra shot and goal-creating actions, wins extra tackles, makes extra ball recoveries and is much extra profitable in his take-ons.

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Finally, it is not a completely one-sided comparability, and the truth that the 29-year-old can play out on the left and tends to invert signifies that there could be house for each gamers within the squad, but when Arsenal can get this deal completed, they need to.