Despite not losing a game for over a month, Arsenal are enduring something of a slump at the moment.
Mikel Arteta’s side have drawn their last two Premier League encounters and now sit six points behind leaders Liverpool.
While there have been a myriad of issues and setbacks for the Gunners this season, it would be fair to say that their underwhelming attack has been the most significant concern.
Games
16
6
2
Wins
8
4
2
Draw
6
1
0
Losses
2
1
0
Goals Scored
29
11
8
Goals Conceded
15
2
1
Points
30
13
N/A
Position
3rd
3rd
N/A
Specifically, Gabriel Martinelli has continued his poor form off the left from last season, so recent reports linking the club with a sensational upgrade should leave fans excited.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in signing Barcelona star Raphinha.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners have already ‘expressed a formal interest in the Brazilian’ while fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester City consider the winger to be ‘an ideal option to enrich their offensive schemes.’
Interestingly, while the Catalan club do not wish to sell the 28-year-old, the report claims financial constraints and the need to register Dani Olmo could represent an opportunity for interested parties, and while no price is mentioned in the story, reports from last month claimed an offer in the region of €90m – £74m – would tempt Barça into selling.
It would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Raphinha’s incredible ability, it’s worth pursuing, especially as he’d be a dream upgrade on Martinelli.
How Raphinha compares to Martinelli
So, if Arsenal can get ahead of the competition and offer Barcelona enough money to secure Raphinha’s services next year, it seems unfathomable that he’d join the club and sit on the bench.
Therefore, he’d be in direct competition with Martinelli for a starting place off the left – where he’s primarily played this season – but how do the pair stack up against one another?
Well, from an output perspective, there is no competition at all, as the Barça ace has scored a staggering 17 goals and provided ten assists in just 24 appearances thus far, which lends credence to journalist Dougie Critchley’s claim that he’s “been Europe’s best player in 24/25.
In contrast, the Arsenal ace has scored just four goals and provided two assists in 22 games, meaning he’s averaging 0.27 goal involvements per match while his compatriot is averaging 1.12 goal involvements per game.
Okay, what about their underlying numbers then? Is the comparison just as one-sided when we look under the hood?
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
1.12
0.50
Actual Non-Penalty G+As
1.10
0.38
Progressive Carries
3.52
5.20
Progressive Passes
5.11
1.87
Shots
3.52
1.76
Shots on Target
1.37
0.88
Key Passes
3.52
1.73
Passes into the Penalty Area
2.10
1.40
Shot-Creating Actions
6.08
2.67
Goal-Creating Actions
0.91
0.13
Successful Take-Ons
1.60
1.60
Indeed, it is, as in practically every relevant metric, the former Leeds United ace comes out on top, metrics including but not limited to non-penalty expected and actual goals plus assists, shot and shots on target, key and progressive passes and shot and goal-creating actions, all per 90.
Ultimately, while Martinelli is still capable of brilliance here and there, Raphinha is clearly on another level entirely, and if he was able to reproduce even half of his output for Arsenal, they’d undoubtedly catch Liverpool in the Premier League.
Therefore, while it will cost them an arm and a leg, the Gunners must do all they can to sign the Barça star as soon as possible.
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