From Bundesliga: Arsenal set to announce their 5th signing of the summer as £55m Bundesliga superstar have finally agreed to join Arsenal – Arteta strongly wants Him to add to His Squad depth
Arsenal have already enjoyed a prolific window thus far, yet continue to be linked with a host of additional signings to bolster Mikel Arteta’s squad further…
Who are Arsenal signing this summer?
An update on their latest venture this window comes courtesy of Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet (via Sport Witness), who suggest that the Gunners have entered the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt maestro Jesper Lindstrom.
Whilst they are set to battle with Liverpool for his services among a host of other Premier League and top European sides, the north London outfit have already made contact with the German outfit, giving them the edge over most of these suitors.
The 23-year-old is valued highly by his club, who will accept a fee of no less than €35m (£30m). However, that could rise as high as €55m (£47m).
Who is Jesper Lindstrom?
Lindstrom is something of an enigma, given he seems to lack a favoured role within which he can star.
The Denmark international might be billed as an attacking midfielder, but stints on the wing and deeper in central midfield paint the picture of a positionally-challenged asset seeking some guidance to truly unleash his potential.
After all, he is touted to have a bright future, with shot-stopping teammate Kevin Trapp noting:
“Jesper is very young and came from a different league. The Bundesliga is a tougher league than the Danish league, you have to get used to it. It’s normal, and everyone in the club and the team knows that. Jesper has already made significant steps forward… you can see that he’s an outstanding footballer and has very good technique.”
This shone through in his recent campaign, in which he notched nine goals and assisted a further four across all competitions. A solid return, but one which could have been bolstered had he not featured across four different positions.
Such confusion regarding his best role, alongside his supposed preference for the number ten spot, draws startling comparisons with Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, Kai Havertz.
The German joined fresh off a troubling year at Chelsea, where he was often forced to deputise up front despite that being far from his preferred role. He would score just nine goals too in all competitions, but has been lauded since making his Emirates switch as someone whose versatility could be put to good use under Arteta.
The Spaniard even suggested so:
“Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.”
These similarities are further emphasised through a shared physical profile too, as despite being silky creators, they stand at 6 foot and 6 foot 4 respectively. Both could hold their own when tasked with battling a centre-back, yet should dominate when faced against smaller midfielders
OneVersusOne serves to aid this comparison too, as both Havertz and Lindstrom rank closely concerning key passes per 90 (0.42 v 0.46), pass interceptions per 90 (2.45 v 2.86) and shots on target per 90 (1.03 v 0.97).
Clearly, they can both create, spearhead a press and cause an offensive threat with their own efforts towards goal, almost explaining their tendency to be played merely to fill vacancies within their teams.
Should the former Bayer Leverkusen whiz be set to get his career back on track under Arteta, there is no reason to suggest he could not repeat this feat with an additional signing, with both helping fill various gaps as creative, hard-working servants to the club with the license to create freely.
