It would be fair to say that Arsenal’s campaign has not exactly gone to plan so far this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side were hoping that this would finally be the year they lifted the Premier League title after coming so close in the two prior, but after a particularly rough month of results, they now find themselves down in fourth and nine points off leaders Liverpool.
Unsurprisingly, such a poor run of form has seen attention shift to what the club could do in the transfer market to either get this season back on track or ensure the next one doesn’t come with the same pitfalls.
Chelsea
1-1 (D)
Newcastle (A)
1-0 (L)
Liverpool (H)
2-2 (D)
Bournemouth (A)
2-0 (L)
Southampton (H)
3-1 (W)
One of the most prominent names touted for a move to the Emirates in the last week or so has been Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, but recent reports have now linked a potential alternative with a move to the club, a central midfielder who’s been in such good form that he’s currently outscoring Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in Ajax star Kenneth Taylor, and have already sent scouts to watch him play.
Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that fellow Premier League sides Newcastle United and Aston Villa and Italian giants Napoli have all been keeping tabs on the Dutch midfielder.
While this level of interest is far from ideal, the good news is that an offer of around €35m, which is about £29m, should be enough to tempt the Amsterdam outfit into selling, per the report.
It would still represent a significant investment from Arsenal, but given Taylor’s sensational form this season, it is one worth making, especially as he could prove an ideal alternative to Zubimendi.
How Taylor compares to Zubimendi
Now, while Taylor can play in a few positions and has here and there throughout his career, he is primarily a central midfielder, while Zubimendi has shown he’s capable of playing in both central and defensive midfield roles for club and country.
So, while this does suggest that there is a world in which they could play together at Arsenal, that seems incredibly unlikely given the players already at Arteta’s disposal, such as Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and possibly Thomas Partey and Jorginho, should they remain at the club beyond the summer.
Therefore, it will likely be one or the other between the two midfield targets, so how do they stack up against one another?
Well, the first thing to look at is their raw output, and in this metric, it’s not even close, as the Ajax “revelation”, as dubbed by former Ajax manager Aad de Mos, comes out way ahead with six goals and four assists to his name in 21 games, which is significantly more impressive than the Sociedad ace’s tally of one goal and two assists in 16 games, and means he’s even outscored Saka this year.
What’s going on under the hood, though? Which midfielder comes out on top when we compare their underlying numbers?
Well, it depends on the metrics you are looking at, as somewhat unsurprisingly, the Spaniard comes out ahead in most defensive metrics, such as ball recoveries, tackles, clearances and interceptions per 90.
However, in practically every other metric, such as expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, key passes, passes into the final third and penalty area, shot and goal-creating actions all per 90, it’s the Ajax star who comes out comfortably on top.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.44
0.14
Actual Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.60
0.16
Progressive Carries
2.99
1.76
Progressive Passes
5.97
7.28
Progressive Passes Received
6.87
1.84
Passing Accuracy
81.6%
86.2%
Key Passes
1.79
0.72
Passes into the Penalty Area
2.24
0.72
Shot-Creating Actions
3.72
2.00
Goal-Creating Actions
0.74
0.24
Tackles
2.09
2.56
Interceptions
0.60
1.12
Clearances
0.75
2.24
Errors Leading to a Shot
0.00
0.08
Ball Recoveries
3.43
4.16
Ultimately, it comes down to whether Arteta wants another more defensive midfielder in his squad or one who’s more likely to make something happen, and based on Arsenal’s slightly lacklustre attack this season, it certainly feels like Taylor would be the smarter signing in 2025.
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