Transfer Story:
With Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla out of the squad already, new Arsenal boss Unai Emery has a number of voids to fill in the squad. Wilshere and Santi were the fulcra of the Gunners in the past, but injury issues coupled with disagreement over contractual situations mean that neither one of them would be at the Emirates next season onwards.
Resultantly, the club is looking to replace them with some experienced alternatives and the latest report states that Ever Banega is close to moving to the North London club. Banega, 29, is a part of Sevilla’s setup and is a box-to-box midfielder, whose primary attributes are to link the midfield to attack. Arsenal find themselves with a dearth of experienced midfielders and Banega might be an interesting candidate for them for the near future.
Banega: Player Profile
Someone who can play centrally and drift wider when required, Ever Banega has been a regular for Sevilla. His consistency is appreciable, and so is his ability to do simple things and join the dots in the midfield with his somewhat limited abilities on the ball.
Over the years, Banega has developed into a good passer of the ball, being able to find the right men with open spaces at their behest in the attacking half. His intensity to press the opponent and the tendency to win the ball back and circulate it quickly keeps the midfield busy.
Banega is a good dribbler too and can take the ball out of cramped spaces to retain possession, something that suits the Arsenal style of playing football. According to Whoscored, in 31 La Liga appearances last season, Banega scored thrice and assisted the same number of goals. He also delivered 2.1 key passes on an average and won fouls at a rate 1.6 in each match. He is a good set-piece taker too, and Banega’s abilities on the dead ball add a unique dimension to his game too.
He completed 2.7 successful dribbles in each La Liga game and made 2.3 tackles on an average too. Banega scored once and assisted twice in nine Champions League games, and also delivered 3.7 key passes per game in Europe’s elite competition.
The Argentine also delivered 2 crosses in each Champions League game, and it just goes on to demonstrate that he is a very influential midfielder who relies on simplicity in his style of play to make an impact on the proceedings.
Should Arsenal sign him?
It is important for Arsenal to look at short-term solutions at the centre of the park, as they already have Ainsley-Maitland Niles and Reiss Nelson who can be groomed to become good central midfielders in the future. Banega’s experience indicates that he will have the adaptability required to prosper in the English game and hence Arsenal should get this deal done this summer.
