He's like Saka & Yamal: Arsenal in talks to sign "world-class" £39m star
While the mood around Arsenal’s domestic campaign has turned from disappointment to apathy, it shouldn’t be forgotten just how stop-start this season has been for the North Londoners.
For example, on top of losing their captain for a couple of months and their only two centre-forwards, the Gunners had to make do without their best player for almost four months.
Expecting Mikel Arteta’s squad to be at their best without Bukayo Saka would be like asking Liverpool to be at their best without Mohammed Salah or Manchester City to do the same without Erling Haaland.
In fact, it wouldn’t be hyperbole to place the Englishman among the very best wingers in the world now, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club with another international wideman who’s won comparisons not just with Saka but also fellow wonderkid Lamine Yamal.
Arsenal transfer news
Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other star wingers linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, such as Nico Williams.
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The Spaniard’s representatives have supposedly already held talks with Andrea Berta and, with a release clause worth around £52m, this feels like a move that could happen, and as he’s amassed an impressive tally of 17 goal involvements in 41 games this term, perhaps one that should.
An even more expensive winger touted for a move to the Emirates earlier this month was Rafael Leo, who looks like he may finally leave AC Milan at the end of the season.
However, while the Portuguese superstar has racked up a brilliant tally of 22 goal involvements in 44 games this season, he could cost up to £86m, which might make a move for him prohibitively expensive, which may not be the case for Kingsley Coman.
Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal have maintained their interest in the French winger.
Plettenberg has revealed that the Gunners are “in ongoing communication” with the player’s management and that it now looks all but certain that he’ll be leaving Bayern Munich in the summer.
However, Saudi Arabia “is a very appealing option” for the former Paris Saint Germain ace, and according to reports from last week, he could cost up to £39m, which may be seen as a steep amount considering his game time this season.
With that said, Coman is an undeniably talented player and one who has won comparisons to both Saka and Yamal, so should this transfer happen, he’d undoubtedly improve the quality of Arsenal’s squad.
How Coman compares to Saka & Yamal
So, before getting into some of the other benefits of signing Coman this summer, it’s worth first examining these comparisons to Saka and Yamal and where they come from.
Well, in this instance, they stem from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the seventh most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman and the Spaniard is the ninth.
The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the trio rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals, shots on target, goals per shot on target, tackles won, expected assists and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.32
0.29
0.29
Shots on Target
1.29
1.19
1.16
Goals per Shot on Target
0.27
0.28
0.20
Expected Assists
0.34
0.39
0.34
Tackles Won
0.85
0.86
0.89
Moreover, like the two Barcelona and Arsenal stars, the Bayern ace also broke onto the scene when incredibly young, making his competitive debut for Paris Saint-Germain at just 16 years old before winning titles in Italy with Juventus and Germany with FC Hollywood.
It’s this experience, which is almost an expectation, to win which could be incredibly beneficial to have in Arteta’s squad from next season, as for all the talent currently there, none are proven winners in the same way as the “world-class” Frenchman, as dubbed by former manager Julian Nagelsmann, is.
Ultimately, while he might not be a guaranteed starter like Saka is, Coman would undoubtedly bring an immense level of experience and quality to Arsenal’s squad were he to join this summer, and therefore, he’s someone Arteta and Co should be looking to bring in.
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