Arsenal's hopes of lifting the Premier League trophy took a hit at the weekend, as Mikel Arteta’s side were defeated by Aston Villa 2-0.
It was the second time this season that Unai Emery had frustrated his old club, but the Villa boss was lucky this time around to claim all three points.
In truth, the Gunners could have had the game dead and buried in the first half, with their xG of 1.45 in the first 45 minutes proving that, but the same story of poor finishing repeats itself.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see that Arsenal are interested in a number nine this summer, who would not only provide goals but also supercharge Martin Odegaard.
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According to a report from Italian outlet Gazzetta, Arsenal are interested in signing the superb Joshua Zirkzee.
The centre-forward currently plays for Italian outfit Bologna, who have been absolutely immense this season in the Serie A.
The report mentions that the Gunners are “watching Zirkzee closely,” having sent scouts to watch the attacker in action against Monza recently.
Plenty of European giants are interested in the Dutch ace, including his former club Bayern Munich, but for every other club, a fee of around £51m is said to be the asking price.
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ByMatt DawsonApr 16, 2024 Zirkzee would turn Odegaard into a monster
Arsenal’s captain, Odegaard, has been fantastic yet again this season, showing class every time he walks onto the field, but he’s not quite been putting up the same numbers as last season.
In the Premier League, the number eight has scored seven goals while providing six assists, which is still a brilliant record but not as good as his 15 goals and seven assists in the 2022/23 campaign.
Although the standard of performance still remains extremely high, he often fails to find himself in as many goal-scoring positions, while his creative output could also be slightly higher.
However, the potential signing of Zirkzee would see an increase in the Norwegian’s ability to both score and create, with the 22-year-old having the perfect profile for the striker role under Arteta.
Goals
10
xG
8.64
Big chances missed
4
Assists
3
Big chances created
10
Key passes (per game)
1.3
Successful dribbles (per game)
1.6
Firstly, it’s quite clear that Zirkzee is the definition of a composed finisher, who often snaps up the opportunity in front of goal when it’s provided to him.
The fact that he’s scored ten goals this league campaign, overperformed his xG, and only missed four big chances proves that. It's certainly far better than Gabriel Jesus’ four goals, his underperformance in xG, and seven big chances missed in the league this season, for example.
This means that Odegaard would have a target to hit in the penalty area, whether that be via a cross or a deft pass into the feet of Zirkzee, who’s clearly an extremely technical player, as shown by his dribbling numbers.
Furthermore, what makes the number nine “one of the most complete ST’ in 23/24," as per football analyst Ben Mattinson, is his ability to create opportunities to score from for for his teammates, as shown by his big chances created and key passes per game, which would have a huge impact on the 25-year-old.
Odegaard is a player who often finds himself in and around the edge of the box, mainly drifting over to the right-hand side, where he can cut inside onto his strong left foot.
Having Zirkzee play with his back to goal, using his physical 6 foot 3 frame inside the box, the former Real Madrid wonderkid would be able to play quick combinations with the striker, allowing him to get inside the box where he can use his excellent ball-striking ability to find the back of the net.
Overall, the signing of Zirkzee would not only make Odegaard a more dangerous player, but the team would be much more complete as well, and therefore, making the move happen is a no-brainer.
