Arsenal were a tour de force in the Premier League last season, and while they couldn’t quite dethrone Manchester City, they were comfortably the second-best team in the competition.
From Kai Havertz at the top of the pitch to David Raya in between the sticks, Mikel Arteta’s squad was full of stars with a genuine claim to being the player of the season, and one who really kicked on was Ben White.
The Englishman was an ever-present in the team and won the Player of the Month Award in March, but based on recent reports, he could be in for a fight next season, as the latest name touted for a move to the Emirates is an incredibly impressive defender.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from journalist Gerard Romero (via Caught Offside), Arsenal are interested in Barcelona star Jules Kounde and have been in contact with the Blaugrana about the player.
The bad news for the Gunners is that the Catalans do not want to sell the talented defender lest they are made a seriously significant offer.
However, it is still early in the transfer window and with the North Londoners clearly keen on the Frenchman, this might be a transfer worth working on, even if it could impact White’s place in the team.
How Kounde compares to White
Now, like White, Kounde is a versatile defender who can play as either a centre-back or a right-back, but with William Saliba and Gabriel firmly established at the heart of the Gunners’ best-in-class back four, he’d likely come in as competition on the right.
So, how does he compare to the Englishman?
Well, from a pure output perspective, the Arsenal man comes out ahead. In his 51 appearances last season, he scored four goals and provided five assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 5.66 matches, which for a right-back isn’t half bad.
In contrast, the “sensational” Frenchman, as dubbed by analyst Marcus Bring, scored two goals and provided four assists in 48 appearances in 2023/24, which equates to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every eight games.
What about their underlying numbers, then? Can the former Sevilla ace even things up with what’s going on under the hood? In short, yes, yes, he can.
|
Kounde vs White |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats per 90 |
Kounde |
White |
|
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists |
0.12 |
0.15 |
|
Progressive Passes |
6.87 |
5.88 |
|
Progressive Carries |
1.74 |
1.21 |
|
Shots |
0.66 |
0.51 |
|
Shots on Target |
0.22 |
0.18 |
|
Passing Accuracy |
89.5 |
84.3 |
|
Live Passes |
74.0 |
57.2 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
1.79 |
2.50 |
|
Goal-Creating Actions |
0.22 |
0.22 |
|
Tackles |
1.19 |
1.38 |
|
Tackles Won |
0.81 |
0.75 |
|
Interceptions |
0.95 |
0.97 |
|
Clearances |
2.86 |
2.11 |
|
Successful Take-Ons |
0.52 |
0.29 |
|
Ball Recoveries |
4.83 |
3.51 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
2.31 |
1.09 |
|
All Stats via FBref for 23/24 |
||
According to FBref, the 25-year-old, whom former manager Xavi dubbed “one of the best defenders in the world,” comes out ahead in most metrics, including progressive passes and carries, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy, live passes, tackles won, clearances, successful take-ons, ball recoveries, and aerial duels won, all per 90.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion ace does edge it in metrics like non-penalty expected goals and assists, shot-creating actions, tackles and interceptions per 90, but that is about it.
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The sensational talent could help the Brazilian return to his best or replace him altogether.
Ultimately, with White producing more goal involvements and Kounde having the better underlying numbers, it would be fascinating to see which one would come out on top in a battle for the right-back position at the Emirates, and while he may cost a significant sum, this seems like a transfer worth pursuing for the Gunners.
