A Statistical Look At The £20m Midfielder Attracting Interest From Arsenal
There have been numerous articles on the influence that Mesut Ozil has already had on Arsenal since his arrival on deadline day. The German playmaker has already played eight key passes in his opening trio of games for the Gunners and completed 89% of his passes in general, as well as holding a 100% shot accuracy and winning 59% of his duels. However, away from the pitch he is also having his say, apparently. The former Real Madrid man has, according to the Daily Mail, recommended Bayer Levekusen’s Lars Bender to his new boss, Arsene Wenger.
We know that the wily old Frenchman is a fan of the central midfielder, but his services will cost at least £20m according to reports. But is he worth it? Let’s dig into his stats.
With six wins from seven this season, Leverkusen are flying. From those seven, Bender has appeared in six, scoring one goal and creating nine chances. However, his main priorities lie in the deeper positions as he attempts to squeeze opposition out of possession and feed the more creative players.
With a 72% duel accuracy – the highest of all the outfield players at BayArena – and an average of four defensive actions per game, Bender would be a brilliant signing. He’s very much a player who does the gritty stuff and is sometimes over looked by spectators as an average player, but his work-rate and athleticism would be a welcome addition to most teams in Europe, in my opinion.
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