Transfer News:
Arsenal’s rejigged transfer strategy to sign defensive players in general under Unai Emery highlights the fact that the club has adapted to the new manager’s demands of adopting pragmatism to bring more stability in the squad and hopefully performances.
However, right now, even Emery seems to be looking to add some attacking flair to his side, as Senegal’s World Cup star M’Baye Niang is on the radar of the Gunners. Niang is a predominantly left-sided winger but he can play across the attacking line. He has a bit of Premier League experience as well having spent a loan spell with Watford. Currently, he plays for Torino but Arsenal’s interest in him could bring the lad back to England.
Arsenal have players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil to play on the flanks but both these attacking midfielders are driven by guile and creativity and do not offer raw pace or directness in their style of play. Hence, the rumoured link to Niang is a wise idea to resolve the bit of sluggishness seen in their attack at times and bring in a slightly more direct approach.
M’Baye Niang: Player Profile
Niang is strong and quick, something that helps him to dominate his side of the field. He is a good decision-maker inside the box and his final product is improving by the day. His footwork enables him to overpower his adversary on the move and he instils energy to the team with his ruthlessness and raw pace.
The 23-year-old is a major threat during counter-attacks and is clinical in front of the goal. He is more of an inverted winger and prefers to cut in from the wing and is not shy to take the occasional shot. Niang’s ability to win aerial duels mean that he adds another unique dimension to his style of play and this particularly comes up useful when he plays as the sole striker upfront.
Last season, he started 18 games in the Serie A and scored four goals whilst also assisting once. He even scored once and assisted another in three FIFA World Cup matches.
Should Arsenal make a move?
It is a very tricky situation here, as Arsenal already have players like Niang who demonstrate flair but come up short in terms of efficiency more often than not. Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck are similar sort of players and hence signing Niang seems to be redundant if they plan on keeping the other two in the squad. He surely is an interesting prospect but I wouldn’t bet on this deal materializing anytime soon.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored