Arsenal are rumoured to be ready to fork out £30m on Germany and Real Madrid star Sami Khedira.
If reports are to be believed, Luis Suarez’s imminent move to
Barcelona is to be the first domino to fall in what could be an exciting
transfer window for England’s top teams.
The Uruguayan’s departure should see Liverpool confirm the acquisitions of Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic from Lille and Benfica, respectively, on the back of the signings of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana.
Suarez signing for the Spanish side, meanwhile, is likely to see Alexis Sanchez move to Arsenal, with the Gunners keen on strengthening their attack ahead of the upcoming season.
For all their offensive firepower though, a defensive-minded player is essential. With Toni Kroos seemingly set to join Real Madrid, reports indicate that Los Blancos are considering offloading his compatriot Sami Khedira.
The 27-year-old recently returned from a knee injury in time for Germany’s World Cup campaign and played a vital role in their 7-1 thumping of Brazil on Tuesday night.
His WhoScored.com rating in the win (8.49) was bettered only by Philipp Lahm (8.76), Thomas Müller (9.26) and Kroos (9.84), highlighting just how good he was in Belo Horizonte. It’s this display in particular that may have convinced Arsene Wenger to move for Khedira, with the Gunners boss hopeful of bolstering his midfield options now the transfer window is open.
After Aaron Ramsey succumbed to injury last term, Arsenal needed another midfielder to fill the void in front of the defence and with Mikel Arteta a rather underwhelming option, a player of Khedira’s ilk was needed to help stem the flow of goals.
Of all Arsenal midfielders in the Premier League last season, only Mathieu Flamini (0.4) was dribbled past fewer times than Khedira (0.5) was in La Liga. This may have been down to Real Madrid’s dominance in Spain’s top tier, but still shows how difficult it is to find a way past him in the middle of the park.
Though – as he proved against Brazil – Khedira is also capable of pressing higher up the pitch to win the ball back, as was apparent as his goal and assist came from winning possession higher up the pitch.
Nevertheless, it is his defensive abilities that really stand out, and it’s not unreasonable to suggest that he will vastly improve Arsenal’s solidity in their own half.
One of the Gunners’ statistically calculated weaknesses is ‘stopping opponents from creating chances’ and Khedira’s reading of the game will lower the possibility of opposing sides forging goalscoring chances.
Moreover, one of his WhoScored.com styles of play is ‘short passes’, which will surely appeal to Wenger.
Arsenal are a team famed for their possession-based, short passing approach and a player who is able to find a teammate with ease should help the Gunners maintain a commendable possession average.
Only Southampton (58.6%), Manchester City (57.6%) and Swansea (57.3%) held onto the ball more than Arsenal (56.8%) in England’s top tier last season, so a player of Khedira’s quality is essential if the club are to preserve this style of play.
With Arteta not getting any younger and Flamini now 30 years old, Arsenal need to bolster their ranks in the middle of the park and Khedira would be a great piece of business for Arsenal if they can lure him to London.
During the World Cup, he has proven he is capable of influencing games at the highest level and fans can expect similar if the midfielder moves to the Emirates this summer.
The Uruguayan’s departure should see Liverpool confirm the acquisitions of Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic from Lille and Benfica, respectively, on the back of the signings of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana.
Suarez signing for the Spanish side, meanwhile, is likely to see Alexis Sanchez move to Arsenal, with the Gunners keen on strengthening their attack ahead of the upcoming season.
For all their offensive firepower though, a defensive-minded player is essential. With Toni Kroos seemingly set to join Real Madrid, reports indicate that Los Blancos are considering offloading his compatriot Sami Khedira.
The 27-year-old recently returned from a knee injury in time for Germany’s World Cup campaign and played a vital role in their 7-1 thumping of Brazil on Tuesday night.
His WhoScored.com rating in the win (8.49) was bettered only by Philipp Lahm (8.76), Thomas Müller (9.26) and Kroos (9.84), highlighting just how good he was in Belo Horizonte. It’s this display in particular that may have convinced Arsene Wenger to move for Khedira, with the Gunners boss hopeful of bolstering his midfield options now the transfer window is open.
After Aaron Ramsey succumbed to injury last term, Arsenal needed another midfielder to fill the void in front of the defence and with Mikel Arteta a rather underwhelming option, a player of Khedira’s ilk was needed to help stem the flow of goals.
Of all Arsenal midfielders in the Premier League last season, only Mathieu Flamini (0.4) was dribbled past fewer times than Khedira (0.5) was in La Liga. This may have been down to Real Madrid’s dominance in Spain’s top tier, but still shows how difficult it is to find a way past him in the middle of the park.
Though – as he proved against Brazil – Khedira is also capable of pressing higher up the pitch to win the ball back, as was apparent as his goal and assist came from winning possession higher up the pitch.
Nevertheless, it is his defensive abilities that really stand out, and it’s not unreasonable to suggest that he will vastly improve Arsenal’s solidity in their own half.
One of the Gunners’ statistically calculated weaknesses is ‘stopping opponents from creating chances’ and Khedira’s reading of the game will lower the possibility of opposing sides forging goalscoring chances.
Moreover, one of his WhoScored.com styles of play is ‘short passes’, which will surely appeal to Wenger.
Arsenal are a team famed for their possession-based, short passing approach and a player who is able to find a teammate with ease should help the Gunners maintain a commendable possession average.
Only Southampton (58.6%), Manchester City (57.6%) and Swansea (57.3%) held onto the ball more than Arsenal (56.8%) in England’s top tier last season, so a player of Khedira’s quality is essential if the club are to preserve this style of play.
With Arteta not getting any younger and Flamini now 30 years old, Arsenal need to bolster their ranks in the middle of the park and Khedira would be a great piece of business for Arsenal if they can lure him to London.
During the World Cup, he has proven he is capable of influencing games at the highest level and fans can expect similar if the midfielder moves to the Emirates this summer.
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