Arsenal to bid for £57m trio to transform them into Premier League challengers – statistics
It is an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan. No, really. Arsene Wenger is supposedly ready to surpass their record transfer fee this week in three separate deals.
Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain is Wenger’s number one priority as his search for a top class goal-gobbler continues, with a deal for the Argentine said to be around the £20m mark. Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan is second on the list as they look to add some real quality to their midfield, and another man who will do that is Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender.
The Bundesliga pair would cost the Gunners £20m and £17m respectively, which would both exceed the £15m they splashed out on Russia international Andrey Arsahvin in 2009 – their current record signing.
Higuain scored 16 goals in 28 La Liga games this season but has been told he can leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer. He also created 22 chances for his teammates and accumulated a shot accuracy of 65%.
Gundogan flourished in this year’s Champions League run in which the Black and Yellows reached the final against fellow Germans Bayern Munich. Although they eventually lost the game the world was able to see just what a talent the 22-year-old really is. He played 28 games in the Bundesliga last season and scored three goals. He finished the campaign with a duel success of 61%, which includes 80% of his 64 tackles being won. He also had a pass success of 87%.
Bender, twin brother of Dortmund’s Sven, plays a similar role to Gundogan but can also be deployed out wide. He was involved in 33 league games in the season just gone and also scored three goals. He created 31chances, won 62% of his duels and made an average of four defensive actions per game.
A trio of signings which could turn Arsenal into real title contenders.
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