Arsenal: Joan Jordan move all about versatility, versatility, versatility

Arsenal are taking their duties of replacing Aaron Ramsey very seriously, and Joan Jordan fits the exact model of what they are looking for for one big reason.

I’ve made the point from the moment it was made official that Aaron Ramsey would be leaving Arsenal that you can’t replace him with just one player. He’s grown too much into the fabric of the club to be able to just be filled in by one other guy. He does too much. He means too much. It won’t be that easy.

But there are names that make it look a lot easier than it should be. Franck Kessie was the first name to pop up that really got me excited. While you’re not going to find someone exactly like Aaron Ramsey, you can find someone kind of like him, and Kessie is kind of like him.

So is Joan Jordan, the Eibar midfielder now being touted as the £13m, ready-made Ramsey replacement.

Certainly not a headliner name, Jordan’s price is going to raise more than a few eyeballs, as are his current digs, but Jordan has the same appeal that Kessie has – he plays the game similar to how Ramsey plays. Specifically, he plays it with a versatility that helps him fit into whatever nook and cranny Ramsey’s influence will have snuck into.

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Jordan creates chances. If you were to put him on the Gunners’ roster right now, he would top the team in chances created. He assists and scores goals, and currently has as many goal contributions as Alex Iwobi.

He’s great at stretching the field of play with long passes, and would rank just behind Granit Xhaka in our midfield in that regard, and he defends play well enough as well, with that token work rate that Unai Emery clearly favors. Plus he plays literally every midfield position, which adds a lot to his overall value.

The point is – Joan Jordan does it all, and even if he isn’t the sparkly signing many fans will be hoping for, neither was Matteo Guendouzi. Though Jordan would figure to fit right into the same arena as the likes of Guendouzi and Torreira, ready to compete for minutes and prove that he deserves this step to the next level.

It’s not an easy thing to do, but the Gunners have to find players like this before they make their next big step. Once they make that big step, they often move out of Arsenal’s price and prestige range. Jordan is still safely in our range, and Emery’s roots in La Liga make him an attractive selling point for players like Jordan.

Maybe the best part? Low expectations. With a price tag like that, no one is going to expect him to be the next Patrick Vieira like they expected Xhaka to be because he’s one-third the price.