Arsenal will have a big task on their hands to improve the squad in the January transfer window.
Truth be told, the Gunners haven’t got a huge number of areas in which they can make improvements but Mikel Arteta must find a way to get over this line this time out.
Indeed, they only need to look at how the second half of the 2022/23 campaign played out to realise how not strengthening can plague a season’s hard work.
William Saliba sustained an ill-fated back injury and when Takehiro Tomiyasu also picked up an issue, it left Rob Holding to fill in for the pairing. The less said about that the better.
As a result, signing another defender, with Jurrien Timber still injury-stricken is a mighty fine idea.
Arsenal’s defensive targets – £34m star eyed up
One area in which the Gunners could look to improve is at full-back.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been suspect at times this term, notably giving the ball away for Matheus Cunha’s goal against Wolves on Saturday.
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Tomiyasu still has his own fitness issues and Ben White has not been without his complaints on the injury front this term.
Therefore, rumours linking Jeremie Frimpong with the club certainly make sense.
Speaking to Caught Offside recently, Fabrizio Romano stated:
“Arsenal have been scouting Jeremie Frimpong, as reported yesterday, and a new right-back is one of the positions they are exploring, for sure.
It’s not something imminent but they are keeping close eye on right-backs for 2024. We’ll have to see soon who the concrete names end up being.”
The defender is currently on the books of Bayer Leverkusen, a teammate of Granit Xhaka’s in the Bundesliga.
Frimpong previously had a spell at Celtic after coming up through Manchester City’s academy and could cost £34m owing to a release clause.
Why Arsenal must sign Jeremie Frimpong
Despite Arsenal’s injury issues at the back over the last year, you may well be wondering why they require another right back.
After all, this is a position that Tomiyasu, White and Timber are all capable of playing in.
However, the fact of the matter is that Arteta loves his versatility. In White, he has a member of the squad capable of playing at centre-back as well as at right-back. In Tomiyasu, meanwhile, he has a cultured defender who is able to feature in any position across the back line. The same could be said of former Ajax man, Timber.
Frimpong, though, offers something that those three options fail to possess, a consistent offensive threat.
That may well be harsh on Arsenal’s Japanese hero, who has registered three assists in his last two games, but the Leverkusen machine is the very definition of a marauding wing-back.
Described as a “monster” by some, the 22-year-old is one of the best young full-backs in Europe, largely going forward.
Over the last year of action, Frimpong ranks within the top 5% of positionally similar players in the big five leagues for non-penalty goals, shots and assists per 90 minutes. Unsurprisingly, the youngster is also within the top 10% for shot-creating actions and in the top 1% for progressive carries and touches in the opposition’s penalty area per 90 mins. Clearly, this is a talent who is an immense threat in the final third.
Non-penalty goals
0.24
0.08
0.08
Total shots
1.50
0.34
0.99
Assists
0.26
0.08
0.30
Shot-creating actions
3.18
2.01
1.91
Progressive carries
4.99
1.46
2.21
Touches (Oppo penalty box)
5.31
1.59
2.36
Successful take-ons
2.31
0.29
0.53
Why this move would benefit Bukayo Saka
Such qualities could well be game-changing alongside the club’s star player and man of the moment in Bukayo Saka.
The England star hasn’t truly been in full gear this term – quite the statement considering no other player has registered more goal involvements in the Champions League. In total throughout 2023/24, the tricky winger has posted eight goals and 11 assists across 20 outings. Fine work indeed.
Unfortunately, there is one major stumbling block in his way- that Saka often finds himself double-teamed by the opposition, something the Hale End graduate has noticed himself.
Speaking of late, the 22-year-old remarked: "I feel like a lot of games I'm facing a double team with two guys on me and it's the same for Gabi [Martinelli]. It's happening in every game. I keep watching all my games back trying to find a solution, what I can do better.”
However, with a player such as Frimpong to divert attention, overlapping him with enormous regularity, it could just open up more space for Saka to wreak havoc.
That’s not to suggest Tomiyasu and White don’t do a good job of that already but Arsenal’s Dutch target is certainly a level above when it comes to attacking threat.
Incredibly rapid and agile, the former Celtic star is someone who would run defenders ragged down the right-hand side – consequently taking one of those markers away from the Arsenal no.7.
Combining him with Saka, therefore, is a deadly proposition, and one that could well propel the Englishman’s numbers to even greater heights. Watch this space.