Since Mikel Arteta was appointed supervisor in December 2019, quite a bit has modified at Arsenal.
The membership have gone from a mid-table laughing inventory into severe contenders for the Premier League, Champions League, and each different competitors they take part in.
The Spaniard’s tactical method has facilitated that transformation, in addition to the entire overhaul of the squad, with a number of star gamers coming in and plenty of going the opposite manner.
Maybe some of the well-liked gamers to have left the membership lately was Granit Xhaka, who loved a sensational turnaround from being public enemy primary to an important cog within the membership’s first title cost beneath Arteta and somebody serenaded by the Emirates in his closing look.
It will be honest to say that the crew generally lack a sure tenacity because the Swiss worldwide left, so followers must be enthusiastic about experiences linking them to a participant who may very well be their new Xhaka.
Arsenal’s summer season of enterprise
As issues stand, this summer season is shaping as much as be actually fairly particular for Arsenal.
Andrea Berta and Co appear to be working additional time to get offers performed in time forward of pre-season, with Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Christian Norgaard already introduced, whereas Nonie Madueke and Christian Mosquera have already undergone their medicals.
Add to that the free-scoring monster that’s Viktor Gyokeres, who may effectively be having his medical tomorrow or on the weekend, plus the rumours regarding Eberechi Eze, and the Gunners appear like they may very well be critically harmful subsequent season.
But, the North Londoners do not look like performed there, as they’ve additionally been linked with a world who may very well be checked out as Arteta’s new Xhaka.
A minimum of, that’s in line with a latest report from the German publication BILD, which has confirmed that Arsenal are inquisitive about João Palhinha.
Actually, the report goes a step additional, revealing that the Gunners have already held severe discussions over the midfield star.
A worth will not be talked about within the report, however tales from final month declare he may very well be accessible for simply £30m as he is not in Vincent Kompany’s plans.
It may not be essentially the most thrilling of signings, however Palhinha is a identified amount, and somebody who may have the ability to add some extra chunk to Arsenal’s squad, similar to Xhaka as soon as did.
Why Palhinha may very well be Arsenal’s new Xhaka
If Arsenal do go forward with this switch and are in a position to deliver Palhinha to the Emirates, then there’s a good likelihood he’ll be part of as a squad participant, with Declan Rice, Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard remaining the first-choice midfield.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply that he could not nonetheless have a major influence, both as the primary identify off the bench or as a rotation possibility, as there are going to be loads of video games to be performed.
With that mentioned, why may he be Arteta’s new Xhaka?
The primary similarity is that, just like the Swiss worldwide, he’d be shifting to the membership from the Bundesliga. Moreover, final season noticed him win the league, simply as the previous Gunners ace did in his first marketing campaign again in Germany in 2023/2024.
Second, whereas he may not be as technical as an Odegaard-type, the Portuguese worldwide is a warrior of a midfielder who will get caught into challenges, even when it will possibly generally be to his personal detriment, similar to the previous Borussia Mönchengladbach star.
For instance, in his 68 Premier League video games for Fulham, he picked up 27 yellow playing cards, whereas the Basel-born ace picked up 55 in 225 video games, understanding at one in each 2.51 and 4.09 video games, respectively.
Nonetheless, you should not learn into that as the previous Cottagers ace being a legal responsibility; it is extra a matter of him continuously breaking apart opposition play and placing out fires.
Actually, within the 23/24 season, the “world-class” worldwide, as dubbed by journalist Dom Smith, made essentially the most tackles in your complete league, coming in with 152, whereas second-place Joao Gomes solely made 128.
Furthermore, whereas he did not get as a lot recreation time as he would have wished final season, the midfield “monster,” as dubbed by knowledge analyst Marcus Deliver, nonetheless has some critically spectacular underlying numbers to point out for his efforts.
Palhinha’s scout report | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics | Per 90 | Percentile |
Move Completion % (Quick) | 96.6% | High 1% |
GCA (Shot) | 0.11 | High 1% |
Tackles (Att third) | 0.74 | High 1% |
Dribblers Tackled | 1.81 | High 1% |
Move Completion % | 92.4% | High 3% |
Tackles Received | 2.13 | High 3% |
Touches (Mid third) | 56.49 | High 3% |
% of Dribblers Tackled | 65.4% | High 4% |
Aerials Received | 2.34 | High 4% |
Passes Accomplished | 68.72 | High 5% |
Complete Passing Distance | 1082.55 | High 6% |
Tackles (Mid third) | 1.60 | High 6% |
Passes Blocked | 1.38 | High 6% |
All Stats by way of FBref | ||
Based on FBref, he ranks within the prime 1% of midfielders in Europe’s prime 5 leagues for goal-creating actions from photographs, tackles within the attacking third, and dribblers tackled, in addition to the highest 3% for go completion and extra, all per 90.
Lastly, despite the fact that he’s best in defensive and central midfield, the Lisboa-born star continues to be able to chipping in with objectives right here and there, as, just like the Bayer Leverkusen ace, he is been identified to attain some long-range screamers.
Finally, whereas he may not be an everyday starter, Palhinha can be a wonderful addition to Arsenal’s squad, and because of his tenacity, expertise and skill to strike the ball, he may even be Arteta’s new Xhaka.
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