Arsenal have come a long way in the last few years.
Mikel Arteta took over a club bereft of confidence and turned them into genuine title contenders thanks to his tactical ideas and the talented players he helped sign.
However, it would be fair to say that at the moment, the Gunners are struggling to find their footing in the Premier League, with pointless suspensions, a swathe of injuries and lacklustre performances seeing them fall nine points behind league leaders Liverpool despite it only being mid-November.
There are a few issues with the team at the moment, but there is one big one that might’ve been solved, or at least lessened, had the club not sanctioned Unai Emery to sell an academy gem in 2019, a gem who’s now outperforming Cole Palmer and Mohamed Salah in one key metric.
Arsenal's 2019 summer departures
So, before we get to the player in question, let’s look at another player who left Arsenal that summer, Danny Welbeck.
The former Manchester United star, who joined the Gunners for £16m in September 2014, wasn’t sold by the North Londoners; instead, he left upon the expiration of his contract in June before joining Watford on a free two months later.
However, the 42-capped international would struggle in Hampshire, and after scoring just three goals in 20 appearances, his contract was terminated just over a year after he joined, which, in retrospect, may well have been the best thing that could have happened to him.
The former United ace signed a one-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion just a couple of weeks after leaving the Hawthorns, and he’s been there ever since, proving the adage that form is temporary, but class is permanent.
In his 138 appearances for the Seagulls so far, the 33-year-old veteran has scored 32 goals and provided ten assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 3.28 games.
However, while we’re sure Arteta would appreciate having such an experienced forward in the squad at the moment, he’s not the former Arsenal player in question.
The former Arsenal star beating Palmer and Salah
Let’s get right to the point, then. The former Arsenal player who sold in 2019 and is currently beating Salah and Palmer in a crucial metric this season is Alex Iwobi.
Yes, the Nigerian international who was sold to Everton for £35m five years ago and then moved to Fulham four years later is the player in question, and the metric in question is passes into the penalty area.
In fact, according to FBref, the Hale End graduate’s 31 passes into the opposition’s penalty area this season is not only the most in the entire Premier League but the most in Europe’s top five leagues, with Lamine Yamal coming in as a close second with 30 passes.
1
Iwobi
Fulham
31
2
Yamal
Barcelona
30
3
Ito
Reims
29
=
Wirtz
Leverkusen
29
5
Schmid
Bremen
28
In comparison, Liverpool’s Egyptian king has played just 21 such passes, while Chelsea’s young superstar has played 19.
The Fulham maestro’s ability to thread the ball into dangerous areas for his teammates to exploit has earned him two assists in just 11 league games this season.
However, according to FBref, his playmaking and passing ability have seen him produce an expected assists figure of 3.2 so far.
In contrast, the highest-ranking Arsenal player for passes into the penalty area is, unsurprisingly, Bukayo Saka, although he only has 16 to his name and following him is Thomas Partey with 13 and Gabriel Martinelli with a measly ten.
Moreover, the Gunners’ mercurial number seven is their only player to produce more assists in the league this season than the Cottagers’ dynamic winger, which would explain the North Londoners’ underwhelming attack so far this year.
Ultimately, while Arsenal got a reasonable fee for Iwobi five years ago, it’s clear that they could use his newfound creativity outwide, and while he wouldn’t necessarily be a starter, we’re sure Arteta wishes Emery hadn’t sold him when he did.
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