Arsenal: PSG Win Race To The Crucial Signing

PSG have signed Polish defensive midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak – that means Arsenal must work much harder if they want to secure a player of equal talent.

As revealed on twitter by both player and new club on twitter yesterday, Sevilla’s anchor man Grzegorz Krychowiak has been snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain. Not Arsenal.

The Pole has been heavily linked with Premier League clubs along with Le PSG ever since he moved from Stade de Riems in 2014, but nobody was able to pry him away from Unai Emery until Emery himself became the new head coach at the Parc Des Princes.

This transfer may come as a surprise to some, especially Manchester United and Arsenal fans -who both thought that the commanding defensive midfielder would be joining their team some time before or after EURO 2016.

Krychowiak was a dominant player in the Europa League for Sevilla. He was instrumental in their historic three-peat spanning the 2014 to 2016 seasons. He was also one of Poland’s stars at EURO 2016. It’s no wonder he returns to the French capital after impressing there with the Red-and-Whites.

Make no mistake about it – the way Chelsea fans who knew Benfica star Nemanja Matic felt when he joined them in 2014, Krychowiak creates that same excitement in Paris. He will open up the game for players like Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and new arrival Hatem Ben Arfa in ways that current PSG players Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta simply can’t.

Attacking midfielders are fearful of Krychowiak, as they should be. And make no mistake about it, Arsenal doesn’t currently have a player of that ilk. Yes, Swiss midfielder and 2016 summer arrival Granit Xhaka is a quality play-maker who can sit in midfield and make tackles. But he’s not the true anchor the Gunners needed this summer.

One close similarity in the two players’ games is their tendency to get stuck in. Across 2015/16 they both made 2.5 tackles per game from midfield – but the Polish Krychowiak beats the Swiss Xkaha purely because he committed less fouls per game (1.8 per game compared to Xhaka’s 2.4).

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One of Krychowiak‘s most impressive statistics is his 4.1 interceptions per game across all competitions this season through 46 appearances. Coupled with 2.7 clearances per game in his team’s third of the pitch and 0.8 blocked shots. He is a world-class defender.

All of those numbers are higher than Granit Xhaka‘s – who arrived for £35m, compared to Krychowiak’s £22m – who can only boast 2.5 interceptions, 1.8 clearances and 0.3 blocked shots per game across his 44 total appearances.

That difference in stats may not look huge, especially when both players played over 3200 minutes over competitive football this season. But it shows on the pitch. There’s a reason Granit Xhaka has been wearing the No. 10 shirt for his country this EURO’s, and it’s because he likes to go forward far more than Krychowiak – who is simply a destroyer.

This is not to understate the quality of Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka. More to say that he is not the player Arsenal could have got themselves with that kind of spending power. Arsenal already have players who can surge forward from midfield, as we’ve seen in EURO 2016 with Wales’ Aaron Ramsey.

Next: Arsenal Can Learn From Mendy Move

What they really need an upgrade on is their player who sits in behind those players: France’s Francis Coquelin – who wasn’t anywhere near EURO 2016.

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Arsenal: PSG Win Race To THE Crucial Signing

By Finn Laister-Smith | Jul 4, 2016

PSG have signed Polish defensive midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak – that means Arsenal must work much harder if they want to secure a player of equal talent.

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