Arsenal can forget about Zubimendi by signing £50m “monster duel-winner”

It was another case of so close yet so far for Arsenal this year, as Mikel Arteta’s side fell just short of Manchester City in the Premier League for the second successive campaign.

However, there’s no rest for the wicked, and with the transfer window about to open, Edu Gaspar and Co will be hard at work looking to bring in the right players to make it the third time the charm next year.

That said, one of their supposed targets, Martin Zubimendi, is said to be unsure about moving to England, and while that’s not ideal, the club already look to have the perfect alternative lined up.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from the Standard, Everton’s star midfielder Amadou Onana is one of the options Arsenal have looked at ahead of the summer transfer window.

Alongside the Gunners, the report names Chelsea, Manchester United, and Newcastle United as sides linked to the Belgian and relays an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, in which he proclaimed his desire to play for a “top club.”

The story doesn’t mention a potential price, but a Football Insider report from late last week claimed the Toffees might be willing to accept a £50m offer for the “dominant” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, due to concerns over PSR.

It would be an expensive and potentially challenging deal to negotiate for Edu and Co, but with Zubimendi looking likely to stay in Spain, it might be one worth pursuing.

How Onana compares to Zubimendi

Now, with a deal for Zubimendi looking increasingly unlikely, it would be worth seeing how the Spaniard compares to Onana, to determine if the Everton ace would be a good substitute, or even an upgrade.

The first thing to note is that the pair essentially play in the same position, with the Spaniard starting 38 games as a defensive midfielder and five as a central midfielder this season, while the Belgian has started 17 games in both areas of midfield, and as such neither one has registered over four goals this season.

However, the differences between the pair become more apparent when looking at their underlying numbers.

For example, the Real Sociedad ace appears to be somewhat more capable with the ball at his feet, registering a higher passing accuracy and producing more progressive passes and carries per 90.

However, the Toffees’ “one-man army”, as dubbed by Kulig, isn’t poor with the ball either, as he produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, receives more progressive passes, produces more shot-creating actions per 90 and takes more shots than his potential competition.

Moreover, he may well be more useful in a deeper role for the Gunners, as he makes and wins more tackles, completes more ball recoveries, wins more aerial duels, miscontrols the ball less often and is dispossessed less frequently as well, all per 90.

Ultimately, while missing out on Zubimendi is far from ideal, Everton’s “monster duel-winner,” as described by analyst Raj Chohan, looks like he might be the better option anyway.

His defensive solidity and 6 foot 4 frame could make him the perfect six, thus allowing Declan Rice to become the club’s long-term eight simultaneously.