Arsenal enter race for Trossard rival who's played for England at Euro 2024

Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal into one of the most formidable teams in Europe over the last few years, and while they have yet to lift a major trophy in that time, they are getting closer every campaign.

There have been notable improvements from star players across the team, be it Bukayo Saka in attack, Martin Odeagaard in midfield, or Ben White at the back.

However, one of the stand-out performers last year was a certain January bargain, Leandro Trossard.

The Belgian morphed into a goalscoring machine for the North Londoners in 2023/24, but based on recent reports, he could have his job cut out for him next season as the latest player touted for a move to the Emirates could prove to be a serious rival.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are now interested in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.

According to the report, there is a real ‘fear’ at Selhurst Park that the Englishman will leave this summer, and while fellow North Londoners Tottenham Hotspur have been the most heavily linked with the 25-year-old, the Gunners have now taken notice following his inclusion in England’s Euros squad.

Should the Gunners push on with their interest, they’ll have to pay £60m to trigger the release clause in the Eagles ace’s contract.

It wouldn’t be a cheap deal to complete, but given his performances last season and his versatility, it seems like one worth pursuing – although it could be bad news for Trossard.

How Eze compares to Trossard

So, if Arsenal are looking to bring in Eze this summer, there are two positions he’d likely play based on where he has played most in his career: on the left or in attacking midfield.

However, with Odegaard establishing himself as the club’s premier attacking midfielder, he’d probably stand more of a chance of starting games out on the left, which in turn would put him up against Trossard. But how do they compare to one another?

Well, from a pure output perspective, it’s a little more complicated than you might first think.

For example, the Belgian scored two goals and provided 17 assists last season, while the Palace ace scored 11 goals and provided six assists, so the Arsenal man comes out on top, right?

Not exactly, as he racked up his 19 goal involvements in 46 appearances, which breaks down to one every 2.42 games, while the former Queens Park Rangers gem achieved his 17 in just 31 appearances, which equates to a more impressive average of one every 1.82 games.

What about what’s going on under the hood then? Does the Palace “superstar”, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, also emerge victorious here?

Unfortunately for the Gunners’ number 19, indeed he does.

For example, while he comes out second best for non-penalty goals, progressive passes, and progressive carries, he comes out ahead in metrics like non-penalty expected goals and assists, actual assists, successful take-ons, ball recoveries, aerial duels won, tackles, shot and goal-creating actions, passing accuracy, shots, and shots on target, all per 90.

Ultimately, when looking at his output and underlying numbers, it becomes clear that Eze – who has featured at Euro 2024 – would be more than good enough to challenge Trossard for a place in the starting lineup next season, so if the Gunners can bring him to the Emirates this summer, they absolutely should.

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