It’s set to be a massive summer for Arsenal this year as the North Londoners try to close the gap on Manchester City in the Premier League and improve their chances in the Champions League.
Overall, Mikel Arteta’s squad took a step forward this season and kept the title race alive until the final day, but a few players, including Oleksandr Zinchenko, seem to have fallen down the pecking order somewhat.
So, it’s unsurprising that the latest player touted for a move to N5 could finally see the left-back banished from the Gunners squad altogether.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from journalist Ben Jacobs via GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are interested in Bournemouth’s exciting left-back Milos Kerkez and have already held internal discussions over the player.
However, Jacobs also reveals that both Chelsea and Manchester United have shown more concrete interest in the 20-year-old and that the Cherries value him at around £35m and would rather not sell him this summer.
These two factors would certainly make it harder for the Gunners to complete the deal, but with Zinchenko only starting 24 games this season and the excitement around the Hungarian defender’s potential, it seems like a deal well worth pursuing.
How Kerkez compares to Zinchenko
Now, the first thing to note is that Kerkez is seven years Zinchenko’s junior, so while he would be able to come right into the first team and not appear too out of place, some areas of his game are just not as developed as the Ukrainian at this point.
However, with Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Jurrien Timber in the squad, he’d have plenty of time to develop and hopefully surpass the former City ace in all aspects.
With that said, how do the pair compare when looking at their underlying numbers?
Well, despite playing for an inferior side and the aforementioned age gap, the “unbelievable” Hungarian, as dubbed by journalist Bence Bocsák, stacks up well.
For example, while he comes out second best in certain metrics like ball recoveries, aerial duels won, tackles, shot-creating actions, progressive passes, non-penalty expected goals and assists, and passing accuracy per 90, he comes out ahead in just as many, including blocks, clearances, errors, the number of times he’s dispossessed, shots on target, progressive passes received, and progressive carries, also per 90.
However, one area in which the “insane talent,” as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, comfortably beats the Gunners star is availability.
Since making his debut for AZ Alkmaar in the 2021/22 season, he has not missed a single game through injury.
In comparison, the Radomyshl-born full-back has missed 40 games in the same period and a whopping 118 matches since the start of the 2016/17 campaign.
