Arsenal: 3 reasons why Emi Buendia might be perfect
1. He is the second-best creator in the Premier League
Kevin de Bruyne’s creative stats are historically great. He has created 96 chances this season, 21 more than anyone else in the division. He has 16 assists and is on pace to break Thierry Henry’s record for the most assists in a season, which has stood since the 2002/03 season. But Buendia is not far behind de Bruyne.
He might only have seven assists on the season, which ranks joint-fourth in the league, but only James Maddison, Trent Alexander-Arnold and de Bruyne have created more chances. Meanwhile, only de Bruyne has created more chances per 90 minutes. De Bruyne creates an amazing four chances per 90 minutes. Only Buendia and Pascal Gross create more than three chances per 90.
Based on the rate of chances created, Buendia is the second-best creator in the Premier League. And he is doing it for a team that has scored a league-low 25 goals this season and is on course to finish bottom of the table. That is quite remarkable.
If Arsenal are looking for a creative, ball-carrying, modern central midfielder, they will do find any better than Buendia. In fact, he might just be the perfect target.