Player Report: Arsenal and Liverpool keeping tabs on Bundesliga midfielder with 88% tackles success

Arsenal and Liverpool have been battling it out at the top of the Premier League table so far this season, but it seems that the fight will now spill over to off-field aspects, as the Daily Star reported a few days ago that the pair were ready to go head-to-head for Frankfurt’s midifield star Sebastian Rode.

On the back of that, we at Football Friends have been on a mission to find out what sort of player he is and what he can offer the topflight duo.

The 23-year-old is a central midfielder who thrives in the defensive areas. Although slight in frame, Rode is a technically-brilliant player who enjoys shielding the back four before popping the ball around the pitch.

He has won 28/32 (88%) of his tackles this season with his Bundesliga side and completed 10/15 of his take ons. Despite not being the tallest player, he has also won 7/11 of his headed duels.

His pass accuracy stands at 85% at the time of writing and he has carved nine opportunities for his Frankfurt team-mates.

Rode works best when he has a powerful player next to him helping him press opponents, in a side who like to retain possession. Keeping that in mind, it would seem that either of these sides would be a good place to switch to, if a transfer scenario arises.

 Statistics can be found at Squawka.